Ward of the Wizard
by Samolfran
Summary: There had never been a place for Lori to call home. She was born under very strange conditions and never belonged to one place. So when Gandalf sets them on a journey to find a lost home and reclaim the halls of the Dwarven kingdom, she can certainly sympathize with the homeless dwarves and their king. Even if he is a cantankerous grump at times. Thorin/OC slowmance.
1. Chapter 1

1.

"Have you ever been to the Shire, my dear?" Gandalf asked her one day in the library.

"Never. It wasn't a likely place to find my father and his kin, so mother never took us there." Lori looked up from the tome she was reading and found the pipe smoking wizard looking at her with a contemplating smile.

"Pity. It really is a very nice place, and the people there are… Well delightful is perhaps a too broad term to use in generalization, but certainly quaint. I think we shall have to go there soon. Events are unfolding in the mountains that would draw us out of our studies."

"I see. But why the Shire?" she asked perplexed.

Gandalf gave a few puffs of smoke and thought about it. "I'm not quite sure yet…"

"You know, if you want me to be like you, you're going to have to give up your trade secrets." She looked pointedly at him.

At this, Gandalf startled. "Like me? Heavens no, dear girl, the world has plenty of me in it. I don't want you to be like me! Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Then… Why did you take me as your apprentice? I don't understand…"

Gandalf gave her a sympathetic smile. "You are special, Lori. A child with parentage of three great races of Middle-Earth, born in the exact moment of a complete planet alignment, as well as a solar eclipse and therefore gifted with magic. There was no place for you in common society that would hone your skills and help you fulfill your destiny. I took you in to help you reach your full potential as you. Not as me. Not as a guardian."

"And what, pray tell, is my destiny then?"

"That, I cannot tell you. You'll have to follow your path like everyone else and make the choices that are presented to you in the best way that you can. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, now would I? –Not that I even know what lies in store for you. No one but the gods know that, my dear."

Lori snorted and resumed reading the text before her. After a while, something struck her. "If I'm not going to be a guardian, can I at least stop walking around with a staff like an old man? I'll never be able to use it in combat anyway, I don't have the reach nor the height for it." Her eyes lit with mischief as she watched Gandalf's reaction.

He choked on his smoke and gave her an annoyed glance. "I'll have you know that I'm far from the oldest being in this world. And yes, you may discard your staff, as long as you then choose another type of weapon to be trained in. The world is a dangerous place, as you well know, and it will not do to go about unarmed. We'll just have to figure out how best to imbue your weapon with magic, if not by the staff stone."

"Can I choose throwing knives? I've always had a knack for those."

"You may, but it will have to be in combination with a close range weapon. I doubt that throwing knives would stop a large enough enemy, and you need to be able to defend yourself, should he fall upon you in close quarters. Besides, your imbued weapon should always remain on your person, lest it loses effect, so knives or arrows are ill suited for this."

"I see," Lori said. "Let me think about it then."

"A fine suggestion! And may I propose that you do so at the weapon smith? You've been cooped up in here for quite long enough today, I think. Young bodies should move and breathe and laugh, not petrify over old tomes in the company of old men with pipes." He winked at her. "And while you're out, would you be a dear and get me a basket of apples? The ones from Dol Amroth should be arriving this morning, and they have the sweetest flavor."

"But I was just reading about Erebor and the attack of Smaug on the dwarves…"

"Nonsense! That tale will soon enough be told. Now off with you! Have fun while it is afforded to you."

"Fine then, I will," Lori sprang up from her chair and bounded up the stairs. The library in Minas Tirith was dark and dry and buried within the mountain side to protect the precious scrolls and tomes. This could have a claustrophobic effect on some. Not Lori, though. Her dwarven ancestry ensured that she felt as safe under the miles of stone as above it. But her elvish and human descent made her crave sunlight, and so when given the chance, she bolted for the bright city.

When Lori emerged from the tomb-like building she took a deep breath and bathed her face in the warmth of the light. Summer was coming and the spring air was ever so gently warming with the scent of blossoming trees. A light breeze tugged on a few strands of her long platinum hair. She opened her eyes and smiled, excited that she was going to get a new weapon, because the staff she had been lugging around the past few months was annoying and unfitting for her.

She strolled through the streets, browsing wares and greeting citizens of the city, and even though she was often received with surprise, wonder and even suspicion due to her unusual looks, people took quickly to her polite charm and easy smile. They didn't need to know that her gift of magic gave off a slight enchantment when Lori was insecure, making most people take an instant liking to the strange little woman. If she told them, she might as well lock herself in the library for the rest of her life, for it would be impossible to convince anyone to trust or accept her again.

The enchantment wasn't a willful act on her part, and wouldn't last if Lori actually offended the person in front of her. Gandalf had called it her natural charm when he met her, and had tried to explain what the magic in her did. To this day she was still trying to find out what her abilities and limitations were and sometimes she even doubted that there was anything magical about her at all. Maybe things just happened around her out of sheer coincidence?

It wasn't just the charm that showed her gift, though. She had healing powers when she encountered sickness, wherever she lived the crops would be rich and the rivers full, when she hid no enemy could find her and when she sang the animals would approach her. Lori liked to call it dumb luck with a dash of elf, to which Gandalf would laugh and rub her head, claiming that those qualities were not so bad at all.

Only in the latest months of studying with Gandalf had she begun to master small elemental feats, like making a spark from her fingers or chilling the air of her breath, conjuring a sheen of water in her palm and making a pebble crack. Mind you, this had been under extreme concentration and not something that was easily replicated. It would take a lifetime to learn anything of real use at that rate.

She arrived at the weapon shop to the familiar clang of hammer upon anvil and decided to let the smith work while she browsed the wares. Bows, spears, throwing axes and slings were quickly sorted out, as they were ranged weapons. Staffs, long swords, two-handed axes and mauls were all either too long or too heavy for her to wield properly. That left daggers, short swords, shields, axes, sabres and whips.

"Can I help you, girl?" She heard a gruff voice behind her. "This is no place for children to play."

Lori turned around and saw the surprised look on the smithy's face. "I'm hardly a child, good man. And yes, maybe you can help. I am in need of a suitable close combat weapon for myself. I don't suppose you'd know where I should start?"

"Wh… What are you?" the man stuttered before he caught himself, stunned at the look of the short woman. Obviously she was neither dwarf nor human, lacking a beard and height of a grown-up which her curves plainly testified that she was. She was also not an elf, as her ears were round tipped and again, she lacked severely in height. "Apologies miss, I didn't mean to be rude, you just caught me off guard is all. Here, let me see what you have your eyes on."

She gave a small smile, "It's alright, you're not the first to ask, nor will you lightly be the last. Suffice to say my name is Lori and I'm well of age to acquire a weapon from you."

"Very well, then. Let's start with the short sword. I have a few pieces lying around… Here! This one would look pretty in that little hand of yours, I think." He handed her an ornate sword with flower patterns twisting up the blade and a leather handle imbedded with small rubies and silver thread. She took it gingerly, not wanting to damage the art and tried to swing it around her a few times.

"The balance is off by quite a lot, master smith. The blade is a bit crooked and…" She ran her thumb across the edge, "it's too blunt." Knocking on the blade, she heard a short 'klink', but no more. "The metal is too soft, even if I sharpened it, it would dent and blunt at the first use. This sword belongs on a wall somewhere, not on the road. But you're right, it is pretty."

"The road? Whatever would you be doing on the road?" He asked as he took the blade back.

"Travelling, of course. Which is why I need a weapon that can defend me, should the need arise."

"I see. Have you any skill in sword fighting then?"

"I do not, not yet anyway."

"And when will you be travelling?"

"Soon, I suppose."

"hmm, well a short sword will do you little good if you don't know how to use it. If the travels were further off, I'd recommend that you take classes with Master Ilen before leaving, but seeing as that won't be a possibility… Are there other areas you have skill in?"

"Not for close combat. But my preferred mid-ranged weapon is the throwing knife. I'm fairly competent with those."

"So you're agile and quick?"

"Somewhat, yes. Not as an elf though, but quicker than a human."

Again the smith looked at her as if he was trying to puzzle out what kind of creature she was. "Do you know a lot of elves, lassie?"

She chuckled lightly, making the shop feel a little brighter. "I do, actually. Just not the one I wanted to."

"And who might that be?"

She sobered quickly and touched a blade with no handle on the workbench. "My father. He sailed west before I met him, but my mother didn't know and searched the elven realms for him when I was a child."

"I am sorry Miss. It was not my place to ask." He almost seemed embarrassed to have brought it up. "But if you are half elf it would make sense that you are quick, from what I've heard of them. Any other traits?"

"Well, my mother was a half dwarf, half human which is what gave me my short stature, I suppose. It also gave me a bit more strength and sturdiness as well as a resistance to fire, though not as much as a purebred dwarf."

By now, his jaw was hanging slack from its hinges. "Are you making this up, girl?" He asked. "Because I have better things to do than to be made a fool of today, I can tell you!"

"No, no! It's true, I promise. Please, I'm just here for a weapon." She held her hands up reassuringly.

He thought it over for a moment, suspicion evident on his face. "Fine… But if you tell me your grandmother was an orc I'll kick you out arse first, you hear?"

"Agreed," she smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

"Right then. How do you feel about daggers?"

"Umm… Curious?"

"Try these two on for size then," he handed her two curved daggers as long as her forearm and showed her to hold them with the blades on the pinky side of each hand. "That way, if someone comes at you with a sword, like this…" He lunged at her with a sword and she parried with the blade across her forearm, "the blade will stop theirs."

"And then what?" She asked.

"Then you slice them with your other dagger and spill their guts on the ground."

"Oh, lovely. I'll be knee deep in entrails by the time the third bandit got to me…" As she contemplated how she would use the daggers, she couldn't help but think that it was awfully close to her body. "I don't suppose you have an idea to how I can avoid being weighed down if the opponent is heavier than me?"

"You're right. If I wanted to get to you, those daggers wouldn't stop me before it was too late for both of us… Please wait here, I think I have just the thing in the back."

He dug through a few boxes and a barrel full of metal weapons before he pulled out two thin, black sheaths with fierce looking handles sporting prongs on the cross bar that extended in curves parallel to the straight center blade.

"These are called sai and are used by people who live far far east of here. See the prongs? They're used for defensive maneuvers against blades by catching the strike at arms length, and the middle blade is used for stabbing or slicing. It requires that the wielder is light on her feet and strong in her arms. You see if you can't move or jump, you'll get your legs chopped off because you can't block effectively with these weapons. And if you're not able to withstand a strike directly on your arms, you'll be overpowered and disarmed, but considering your claim to light feet and good strength… I think they're perfect for you."

Lori carefully unsheathed one of the long blades and admired the black steel they were made of as it glinted in the light from the forge. It gave off a slight tone as it was released from its scabbard and seemed to luster with life as it greeted her eager eyes. There were no adornments on the weapon, only the grip that was bound in a black shimmering leather that was smooth to the touch and the pommel which was faceted but made in the same material as the blade. As she stared at the metal there seemed to be several layers of blackness that threatened to suck her in and she had to forcibly remove her eyes from it.

"Why is it black? Is it dirty?" She asked the smith.

He chuckled at her ignorance in good humor, "No, no. That was how it was made… The metal worker who forged it mixed in components of graphite, carbonite and onyx to give the metal this color in order to make the blade hidden in the dark. It was made for stealth and assassinations, see?"

Lori shivered slightly at the thought, but examined the weight of the weapon, the balance in her hand and how it handled when she swung it around. She found that it was very willing to whirl around her fingers, but always returned to her palm at her will. It was almost effortless.

"That sort of juggling will earn you good coin at a fair, but will do you no good in a real fight, I tell you." His one brow was lifted pointedly at her.

"Oh, I know. I just wanted to see how it handled. I don't suppose you'd try to show me how it's used?"

"Sure, sure. You need to use them both at the same time to get their complimentary effect… Here you are," he handed her the twin sai. "Find a good defensive stance and get ready. Remember to breathe." He then proceeded to come at her with the two daggers in a fairly slow motion so she could block with crossed sai, push him off and catch the second slash to her ribs with a back handed block.

"Good, now try offence."

Lori only had to think for a moment before she was a blur of whirling blades, clashing with the daggers. She even got the smith to retreat for a few steps before she stopped with a victorious smirk on her face.

"Very good! I'd say we've found your weapon, indeed! All you need now is practice and some light armor and you're good to go."

She looked at her two new weapons and felt that they were as eager as her for their new partnership. They would not fail her, she was sure of it. "Thank you very much, sir. I'm grateful for your help… I need maintenance gear and straps for the scabbards as well. Black if you have them."

"Alright, and if you're going to the armorer next, let me recommend Ursus the tanner. Not many know it but she makes excellent leather gear and if you tell her I sent you, you can probably wrestle up a good discount from her. She owes me." He winked and equipped the blades with their straps and packed Lori's supplies.

"Thank you again. Goodbye." She paid the somewhat steep price for her new equipment and waved to the smith as she left the store to descend to the second level of the city where she knew Ursus' shop was.

...o00Ô00o…

When Lori's excursion was at an end she returned to Gandalf in the library, winded from the heavy load she was carrying.

"You know, I'm pretty sure you could conjure up these apples yourself if you were so inclined," she complained to Gandalf before handing him a sack of apples.

"Oh, stop your complaining, girl. Besides, this is only half the apples I asked you to get if the weight of the sack has any say?"

Lori took a few breaths with her hands at her sides as she gave him an exasperated look. "We both know that I was always going to eat half of those apples anyway. I just didn't see the need to drag them to the top of Minas Tirith to do so. And you were right, they are positively scrumptious!"

"You ate six apples so you didn't have to carry them?" He grinned. "And how did that turn out for you?"

"If you must know, I'm no longer hungry, I didn't have to take two trips to carry all of my purchases up here and I have a great memory of juicy apples on my tongue. On the down side, I'm nauseous and my left side stings from trotting up all of the the stairs. But I'm equipped for our journey, weapons, armor and food, so it's worth it, I think."

"Very well Lori. Get packed and get some sleep. We leave for the Shire in the morning. I just need to send these letters and then I will turn in as well."

"What letters?"

"You're being nosy, my dear. But as it happens, they are letters for some of the dwarves that are meeting in the Iron Hills in a fortnight. I hope to give certain events a nudge in the right direction with them. Now off you go, and don't stay up and read all night!" He shooed her along like she was a child, and she indulged him just this once.

"Alright I'm going! Goodnight Gandalf, and sweet dreams."

…o00Ô00o…

The next day they set out as planned on an adventure Lori had no idea lay in store for her…


	2. Chapter 2

After travelling through the wilderness for three months, the land began to grow greener and more lush, the rushing rivers became little creeks and brooks that clucked and flowed through the green pastures. Wind swept pines and thorny shrubs became weeping willows, oaks and birch trees swaying gently in the breeze and whispering to the wind. Cliffs turned to soft hills and gorges to valleys. Small settlements of hobbit holes were spread between fields of summer barley, corn and wheat and their gardens were overflowing with sweet-scented flowers and vegetables, making bees and butterflies buzz lazily about in their quest to sample the nectar.

"So this is the Shire?" Lori asked Gandalf. "It's so… Cozy… What are we doing here again?"

"We're going to Hobbiton to join a company bound for great adventure. Now what did you say that last town was, again?" Gandalf sat on his tall horse with a map spread out before him, trying to find the way through the winding pathways and gardens to his destination.

"Woodhall, and before then Stock. Right after we crossed the Stock Brook, I believe. How is it that a wizard who has wandered the earth for… However long you have - doesn't know his way around?" She tilted her head slightly to the side in wonder.

"I have never been in this particular part of the Shire before, and therefore have no memory of the road. Even the greatest cannot remember that which they have never learned, now can they?" He looked pointedly at her.

"How would I know? I'm not one of them, after all," she shrugged with a cheeky smile. "But in theory, I guess you have a point. Also, in theory, we should be approaching the Green Hill Country, and after that a crossroad that should lead us north to Hobbitton and your Bagshot Row."

"Ah! Now I see it!" The old wizard exclaimed as he turned the map upside down, making it look as if he was a complete fool. He didn't deceive Lori, though.

"Was this some kind of test, old one? Or is age truly catching up to you at last?" She teased.

"It is good that you can retain so much information by simply studying, my dear. But sometimes the world does not quite look like what you would have expected from your books and maps and you would do well to remember this. Let's just leave it at that." He packed up the map and pulled out his pipe. When he rummaged through his tobacco pouch, however, it came up empty, much to the wizard's chagrin. Lori knew better than to pester him when that happened and held her tongue for a good mile before her squirming finally got to Gandalf.

He sighed and turned to her, "Out with it, girl, before it eats you from the inside!"

"Well, you promised to tell me the full reason for going to Hobbiton before we got there, and it's coming up pretty soon, so I thought…" She looked at him hopefully, making doe eyes at him. "And I know that some sort of adventure is to take place, but surely you know more than that it is just a random quest, or you wouldn't have come here all the way from Minas Tirith to join it?"

Gandalf smirked under his beard and finally put his pipe away. "Remember when you were reading about the dragon Smaug and the Lonely Mountain?"

Lori's brows shot up in surprise, "I do, yes…"

"How far did you get with it?"

"Not very; King Thror ruled under the mountain and had found the Arkenstone, the heart of the mountain, to be his crowning jewel as a sign from the gods that his rule was blessed…"

"Yes, yes. Well by then the dragon sickness had already taken hold of him and corrupted his mind. He could think of little else but gold and riches and so his son, Thrain, had taken up many of his royal duties unofficially. Thrain's son, Thorin watched as his grandfather's madness grew and his love of gold overshadowed all else. He aided Thrain in governing their people, Durin's people, in the absence of their king and so Thorin became loved by many and respected by all."

They rode into the shade of the trees of Green Hills, and the relief was immediate. Lori had yet to get used to wearing leather armor in the summer. She took a swig of water and sighed as she listened on.

"The treasure grew and grew until one day Thror's madness became the downfall of every dwarf in Erebor, for the Dragon Smaug had gotten wind of the vast amounts of gold. When he struck, the city of Dale which the dwarves traded with was obliterated and none survived. The elf king, Thranduil, who had paid his respects to Thror, or rather his wealth, stood on the hills and observed as Smaug entered and destroyed the great, sacred halls of the mountain. Even when called to help by Thorin, he did nothing. In the end, only a fraction of the dwarves had survived and became homeless vagabonds. It was a steep fall from their former glory and a hard, unforgiving life among men." He paused and looked to see if Lori was listening and found her deep in thought.

"Do you remember the tale of the battle of Azanulbizar?"

"I think so… It's the one where the dwarves drove back the orcs from Moria, isn't it?" Lori asked.

"Yes. And the one where Thorin Oakenshield earned his name as well as the leadership of his people. Where he cut the arm off the pale orc who beheaded Thror and defended himself with an oaken branch."

"I remember… But what does this all have to do with our journey halfway across Middle Earth?"

"Don't interrupt me!" Gandalf snapped, but then in a more patient tone continued, "these things are related, I assure you… Did you also know that dwarves generally are a superstitious and stubborn bunch?"

"No I did not… Gandalf! Get to the point, already!"

Finally the wizard conceded; "We are about to hopefully embark on the adventure that will be the next chapter in the life of Thorin Oakenshield and the line of Durin, if only we can get him to recruit the fourteenth member of their company here, in the Shire. You see, they believe firmly in omens and luck, and they think they have been shown the time to return to their home under the Lonely Mountain. But they will not go with a company of merely thirteen dwarves, as this will surely see them to failure in the end."

"What poppycock! What good will dragging along a peace loving hobbit do? Surely you don't mean to rob one of these little farmers or merchants from their home? Gandalf!"

Gandalf hrmf'ed in his beard, "I happen to know of one Bilbo Baggins who would benefit greatly from just such an adventure. He is not quite like other hobbits, there is an inquisitive mind under his curls and a wanderlust in his feet that needs to be challenged if he is to grow fully."

"So he is another misfit, like myself that you just happened to find the right fate for?" She looked at him, quite displeased. "Whatever happened to finding your own path in life like you told me I should?"

"Now don't be harsh, Lori. I'm not choosing his path, I'm merely putting one before him that he may or may not choose to follow. After all, he cannot choose his own fate if never presented with any choices, agreed?"

Lori deflated a bit and considered the wizard's logic. "I suppose so. But I doubt that the dwarves will have him. I mean, what use is he to them?"

"We'll see. I think that having him in the company will have many benefits, indeed."

"And this trip to the Shire has nothing to do with your personal stores of Old Toby running out, I suppose?"

"Absolutely not. But now that we are here, I might as well stock up, don't you think?"

"I think you smoke too much." She said pointedly.

"Hmm… Perhaps." Gandalf shrugged it off and they continued in amicable silence until they reached a T-shaped crossroad and turned north. From there on it was a short ride to Hobbiton where they stabled their horses at Tolman Cotton's inn and went by foot up to Bagshot Row through the little paths and gardens that lay between the rolling hills and hobbit holes.

Every single hobbit who saw them stopped what they were doing and stared suspiciously at Gandalf. When they saw Lori following him their suspicion turned to shock at seeing a woman of their own size following the wandering wizard, dressed as she was in leather and silk, and armed to the teeth with throwing knives and sai. When greeted with good morning, though, they all seemed to remember their innate politeness for a moment and greeted back, though still in bewilderment as to what these strange creatures were doing in their neck of the woods.

Lori and Gandalf finally reached a hobbit hole with a green door, in front of which sat a distinguished looking gentlehobbit blowing smoke rings and enjoying the mid-morning sun.

Gandalf coaxed the smoke into a moth and made it dash into the hobbit's face, making him splutter for a moment before discovering that he was being watched.

He looked momentarily confused and uncomfortable until he decided that politeness was the best way to go. "Good morning," he said.

"What do you mean?" Gandalf asked with mirth. "Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?"

Lori rolled her eyes behind the wizard's back at his antics. The poor hobbit didn't know that he was being poked fun at it seemed.

"All of them at once, I suppose," he replied to Gandalf's disappointment. But really, what did he expect from this polite little fellow?

At the wizards continued scrutiny the hobbit squirmed and finally asked, "Can I help you?"

"That remains to be seen," was the somewhat ominous answer. "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure…"

The hobbit gaped at him before composing himself enough to muster a little indignation. "An adventure?... Now I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures." He claimed with some pride. It would seem that adventures were not something to partake in if you were a respectable Shire hobbit. At least not in his opinion. "Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner!"

He was busily emptying his mailbox and edging away from Gandalf while sucking on his now extinguished pipe. Quickly leafing through the considerable stack of mail he backed up towards his front door and bade Gandalf another good morning as a parting salute.

However the wizard wasn't quite done and proceeded to bring up the hobbit's past, making him remember carefree days as an adventurous youngster under his loving mother's encouragement. Apparently, Bilbo Baggins was quite the wild child once but seemed to have thoroughly outgrown such tendencies in conformity to his community. Expectable, Lori thought, if one was to be accepted by those around him. But she couldn't help but to think of Gandalf's words on choice. Bilbo had never really had a choice, had he? If they as strangers were considered with suspicion and shock, what would a young lad with frowned upon behavior and imagination have to endure? She could only imagine.

In the end, all they got for it was a door slammed in the face followed by the sound of bolts and locks being clamped in place. They must have really spooked him.

"Well that didn't go so well, do you think?" Lori snarked.

"Give him some time," Gandalf scratched a dwarfish rune on the door.

"What does that say?" Lori asked as she had never seen the sign before. Gandalf had always refused to teach her the secret language of the dwarves, khuzdûl, saying that if she was to be inaugurated into their secrets it should be the dwarves themselves who did it.

"Oh, nothing of great importance, just a marker for some friends…"

Lori scowled at him in vain. "Fine, keep your secrets, wizard! Where do we go now?"

"I'm going to see a merchant about some tobacco, but why don't you look around? Meet some new people? We'll meet here tonight at seven when the rest have arrived."

"But you heard master Baggins! He's not at all interested, and if we come back tonight he won't be inclined to open his door to us. Then what?"

"One thing at a time, my dear. I'm certain that Bilbo Baggins would not turn out a guest who was polite and travel weary, he was raised quite well that boy."

"If you say so, Gandalf. If you say so…" Lori looked at him with doubt written all over her, but she was not inclined to argue further. She was off to the market to see what goods were for sale and if she could find a shady spot to relax for the afternoon with her notebook.

"See you tonight then!" She waved at him as she trotted down from the door at Bag End.

..o00O00o..

After having browsed through the market and bought a few trinkets for her hair she had a lovely lunch at the inn where absolutely nothing was missing, and with a full belly she found a shady spot by the creek where she undid her leathers and sat down to re-braid her hair. A glass pearl with deep blue hues was woven into one of her braids, and a silver ring of about an inch's length sheathed another. She didn't often braid her hair but it was only practical when travelling where water and soap were in sparse supply. Usually her braids needed tending to after a few days, something her mother had always chided her for. Never mind that Lori's hair was a fair bit sleeker and livelier than your average dwarf's. It seemed to have a will of its own and that will was not to be trapped in tight braids. A dwarf's hair was their pride and status symbol and it was important to keep it neat and in style, even or especially if you didn't have a beard.

Her mother had had a silky soft, wavy blond beard that had flowed to her collarbone and was collected there in a silver clasp adorned with the symbol of her clan. Lori had never thought to take the clasp when her mother passed away as she didn't want anything to do with a clan that had scorned her grandmother and her mother for relating to her human grandfather. Besides, what would she do with a beard clasp when she had no beard? She doubted any dwarves would look favorably on a hybrid like her, wearing one of their cultural items in any other way than what it was intended for.

After freshening up by the creek and taking care of her hair, she started to clean and polish her armor. Sweat and leather were not always the best of friends and the salt left blotches and dried the material. First her vambraces were cleaned and rubbed in oil, then her pauldrons and her cuirass which was more of a leather petticoat, really. And finally her knee high boots as well as all of her weapon straps were tended to.

Sitting in the shade in her under shirt, pants and bare feet, she began working on her sai. She had skillfully carved and inserted an amethyst into each of them to hold her energy and at every chance she got she attempted to imbue them with power. It was slow going and as of yet she still couldn't feel a thing when she touched the stones afterwards. Not like when she had once touched the crystal in Gandalf's staff! That crystal held the Secret Fire of Arnor and was no trinket to be toyed with. The very thought of the power she had felt made shivers run down her spine on the hot summer day.

But Gandalf had instructed her to keep trying, so try she did. A small light shimmered in the stone under her fingers and she felt some of her energy leave her only to be replaced immediately after she let go. And still there was no resonance from the stone. Maybe she was doing it wrong and the purple gems gave back the energy? Maybe their capacity was so great that the small amounts she gave them felt like nothing? She'd have to consult the wizard for answers later.

There was a rustling and excited whispers in the nearest hedge, and Lori reached for her knives slowly. If someone had seen her imbue the stones, fear might lead them to violence and she didn't wish to be assaulted unarmed.

The rustling stopped abruptly.

"Show yourselves!" She demanded.

More rustling and an agitated whispered argument of "You go!", "No, YOU go!" erupted.

"All of you, come out or I will draw arms." By now she was half convinced that she was not in any danger but decided to better be safe than sorry.

Three hobbit children popped out of the hedge with leaves in their hair and apologetic faces, two boys and a girl.

"We're sorry for spying, miss. We shouldn't have done it." The oldest boy said.

"We didn't mean to, honest!" The younger boy claimed.

With a quivering chin the tiny hobbit girl almost started to cry, "Please don't turn us into frogs, miss. Please!"

Lori released a sigh and sat down on her cloak once more, putting the knives away. With a chuckle she relaxed and looked at the children sideways, "Don't be silly child. I only turn bullies and meanies to frogs. Curious children, however, I invite to hear stories. Come and sit if you like, and I will tell you the story of Isildur and the ring of power."

She gave them a wink when they inched closer and finally crowded together in front of her on the cloak.

..o00O00o..

By the time the story was finished, her audience of three had turned to ten children of varying ages, each and every one enraptured by the tale.

When tea time arrived and parents started calling for their youngsters, the girl who first feared a life of frogdom took her hand and insisted that she joined her family at her home.

And so Lori spent the afternoon with Young Estella Bolger and her parents Odovacar and Rosamunda. At first the older hobbits were wary of her, but charm and charisma as well as politeness went a long way when swaying their sympathies, she found. She told them of her life and some of the places she had seen, and it seemed like they thought of it as fairy tales from another world, so far removed from their own lives was her story. Not that they didn't believe her, more that it was hard for them to imagine the world outside the Shire.

When dinnertime approached, she took her farewell to great protests and beseeching invitations to stay, but she had a meeting to get to in Bag End on the other side of Hobbiton, and thanked them profusely for their hospitality.

"Come back and see us, won't you Lori?" little Estella pleaded.

Lori mussed her curls and smiled kindly at the girl. "Maybe someday if the fates are kind I will see you again my friend. Until then, be kind to those deserving and obey your parents, alright? We don't want to risk those frog spells."

"I will." She pouted and leaned into her mother's skirt.

"Farewell to you too, Mr. and Mrs. Bolger. And good luck at the fair with your pumpkins, I'm sure they will win great praise."

"Thank you dear. Give our regards to Gandalf as well. Old Bolger here loves his fireworks." Madam Bolger said as she nudged her husband. "Not that he'd admit it, mind you."

"I will. Thank you again for a lovely afternoon." She gave them a final wave and started down the road, "Bye!"

Now which way was the fastest way to get back to Bagshot Row, she wondered and set off to the north of the village, whistling a merry little tune.

..o00O00o..

**Thank you to everyone who read, favourited and reviewed! And especially to my beta, Karen ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

The balmy summer night had fallen upon the Shire and a fresh breeze warned of heavy rain clouds later in the evening. Lori enjoyed the sunset over Hobbiton as she trotted North at a steady pace, trying to remember where she had come from earlier in the day. Now she understood why Gandalf had marked Bilbo's round door with a rune. Every door was different from the others, but at the same time she couldn't for the life of her remember how the one at Bag End looked. It had camouflaged itself with all the other colors of doors now in her memory.

She found the tree she had been sitting under during the afternoon and started to trace her steps back to the inn, when a heavenly smell started to rise up from the little hobbit holes around her. It seemed that suppertime had arrived, and though Lori had eaten well and plenty all day, her mouth watered and her stomach growled in anticipation.

"Ugh, staying here too long will make me fat and spoiled, for sure." She mumbled to herself with a smirk.

Once more she adjusted the pack on her back containing her armor. It had been too hot and bothersome, not to mention pointless, to put it back on while in the Bolgers' home. She decided to check on the horses when she found the inn on her way.

Gandalf's horse and her pony were well fed and stood dozing in their booths, hardly acknowledging her presence as she peeped over the wooden barrier. In addition to their mounts she counted fifteen new additions to the stable; Furry and long haired ponies filled every stall and booth in the stable, and it didn't take long for Lori to figure out that the company of dwarves must have had arrived before her.

'Better hurry or Gandalf will be grumpy for the rest of the week if I'm late,' she thought as she jogged outside. He had a thing with punctuality when it came to other people. For himself, though, he always said that a wizard was always on time and arrived at the precise moment he meant to, which just sounded like a bad excuse for being tardy to Lori. But the old fart could have his eccentricities she supposed. He put up with her irreverence and candid nature better than he did anyone else's in return. She guessed it was a nice change for him when everyone else bowed and scraped and hung on his every word and called him _Mithrandir_. Hah.

'Damn, where _is_ that bloody door?' she ran past the fifteenth wrong hobbit hole and began to wonder if she was ever going to find Bag End again. Slowly more and more fields began to surround her and finally she was convinced that she must have passed it or gone in the wrong direction and turned around. Now she was really late.

Running and studying the doors on her way, she didn't see the hulking figure in front of her before it was too late, and with flailing arms she skidded into it.

"Oof!" The air was thumped out of her body when she hit the back of what felt like a man shaped boulder and she stumbled back trying in vain not to land on her butt. The boulder looked at her in surprise before it reached a massive hand down to help her up.

"I beg your pardon, sir. I wasn't watching where I was going." She gasped as she brushed the dust off her trousers with her free hand. He gave her a quick once over to establish that she was unhurt and then offered her a kind smile that made Lori return it sheepishly.

"All is forgiven, I am none the worse for wear. Do you require assistance?"

There was something warm and slow in his deep voice, like honey, and he had yet to let go of her which made her cheeks redden and her pulse quicken.

"N- No. Thank you. I'm lost, but I'm sure I'll find my way." It hadn't occurred to her that he didn't look like a hobbit and was probably a dwarf going to the same meeting as her. His brow lifted a bit as he heard of her plight.

"So am I. It seems this Shire is more of a labyrinth than I had anticipated. You don't suppose there is anyone we can ask for directions?"

Lori shrugged, "if I have learned anything of Shire-hobbits today it is that they do not stray from their routines and never, ever miss a meal. I'm afraid they are all at their dinner tables as we speak, and I doubt they will be happy if two odd-looking people like us interrupt them for directions." Then she took a closer look at him and saw him for what he was. "You're looking for Gandalf, aren't you?"

The smile vanished and a stony anger rose in his steel blue eyes and the warm grip on her hand turned to a vice. "What do you know of my purpose, woman?" he demanded as he drew her closer to study her face.

Lori's eyes widened as a healthy fear reared its head, "Aren't you one of the dwarves travelling with Thorin Oakenshield? I was meant to meet with you at the house of Bilbo Baggins before I got lost." If this was not one of the company then she didn't want to give away too many details about their plans, so she stayed silent about the quest.

To her relief the grip lessened and the dwarf relaxed a bit. "I am not one of the company," he said. Lori frowned and started to retract her hand. "I'm Thorin, at your service." He let go of her hand and bowed his head slightly without releasing her from his captivating eyes.

Lori stared at him in shock. 'This is _Thorin Oakenshield! _A formidable warrior. A legend. A king!' her thoughts ran in circles as she gaped at the dwarf lord in front of her. His bearing was certainly proud and regal, and he gazed at her with a calm authority that had the power to both intimidate her and trap her in a daze. She found him handsome with his steady blue eyes and long dark hair sporting single streaks of silver in it. His beard was neatly trimmed in a much shorter length than she would have expected of one as great as he.

When he raised his brow in question to her silence and gaping expression she finally remembered herself and dropped into a deep curtsy. "It is an honor my Lord. I've heard of some of your adventures."

"The honor is mine, I'm sure. It seems our path is the same for the time being, though I must ask you…" he stood back and studied her. "What business does a girl have with my company? And are you a hobbit?"

Lori was startled out of her reverie at the thought. "A hobbit? Goodness no. Have you never seen one?"

"I have not. This is my first time in this country and they don't seem fond of travelling to other parts of this world. And, as you see, none are about this evening."

"That's all very true I suppose. But actually, hobbits are known for having curly brown hair, large furry feet which they never wear boots or shoes on, and like I said – they don't like to miss meals. So obviously I'm not one of them." Her stomach chose that second to growl extremely loudly, making them both look down at it in surprise.

Thorin chuckled, "are you sure of that?" His smile drew her in and was infectious enough to make her relinquish her fear of him. They started south on the path where she had initially come from. "Come, let's take the road together and you can tell me what you know of Gandalf and myself while we walk."

Lori laughed which made nearby birds and animals in the thicket turn their heads and listen. "I'm afraid the way is by far too short for those tales. I know Gandalf very well you see. And the stories of your life my Lord, are by far too many and too interesting to do justice with so little time." She turned to him and smiled sweetly. "I am Lori Lórindol, Gandalf's ward by the way. Where he goes I usually follow and this is how I know of you and your company."

A thought occurred to Thorin, "Do you mean to say that you are to join us?"

"Indeed. But as a companion to Gandalf, not at one of the company, mind you."

"I will not allow you to. Girls don't belong in the wild and we have a perilous road ahead of us. My men are warriors, strong and armed as well as capable of defending themselves and one another. You should stay here where you are safe once we depart."

Lori rolled her eyes, "I am not a feeble, defenseless ninny and this is far from my first travels, I assure you. Nor am I unarmed though I suppose some training could always be in order, but that can easily be arranged along the way…" She looked at him thoughtfully. "Maybe you should know more about me before determining whether I can manage on this journey or not."

"Such as?" came the gruff answer.

"Such as that I've travelled through the length of Middle-Earth and am a very capable forester. Such as that I am stronger than I look as well as light of foot and I'm armed and armored for the journey, my things are just stowed at the moment. Such as that you really don't have a say in whether or not I go, as I am not under your command and such as that I resent being called a girl when I am obviously a fully grown woman!.. Sire." By then she had worked herself into a bit of a fit, but tried to calm herself so as not to invoke the wrath of the dwarf leader. It really wouldn't be a good start to their time together. His eyes strayed to her voluptuous body for a mere second before he averted them to the road ahead.

He seemed to think for a while as they walked.

"Even so, I still think that it would be a bad idea for you to come…" he concluded.

"How come?" she asked with hurt in her voice. She couldn't deny that his words stung her. Ever and always she had been an outsider, never really welcomed and never truly accepted. The elves had always treated her as a favorite pet of sorts and had pampered and accommodated her. But they had never talked to her as one of their own and she had felt their estrangement as acutely as she did with every other race she ever lived among.

"Understand that only one in three dwarfs are born female, and that our people have been driven from our home to wander and squabble for scraps for a long time now. This makes our race very protective of our women because they are needed to make our lines survive and our homes thrive. I mean you no offence and you are right that I don't know you at all. But my men and I would feel that your protection was our responsibility, be it the case or not. That isn't something I would wish for them and it's potentially dangerous if they get into situations where they would sacrifice themselves to secure you. You would be a distraction."

"I see. But didn't you just say that your men also look out for one another? How would it be different than looking out for one such as myself and me looking out for them in return?"

"It's… Difficult to explain…" He looked slightly uncomfortable now and avoided her eyes. "But as you said, I don't really have a say in the matter if Gandalf comes with us."

"True. But I'd still like us to get off on the right foot with you. It'll be a terribly long way to Erebor if we resent one another."

For some reason his ears colored slightly. "It's not resentment, my lady. It's… Well… I suppose we will have to see how it goes if you insist on this folly."

"Good. Because here is the marked door, finally." She said and pointed behind him.

He turned to look and when he saw it he asked her in a conspiratorial voice, "did you know it all along, little imp?"

She lit up in a grin and skipped pasted him with a "Nope!" that did nothing to convince him one way or the other. "And I'm not an imp!"

"Well what are you then?" He said as he trotted after her. "You're no hobbit, we've established that. And you're no dwarf with this naked face unless you're a child, which you claim not to be. Elves and humans are tall, and you're decidedly short. Orcs and goblins are hideous…" At this Lori skidded to a stop and stared at him in outrage, but he just smiled and continued, "So clearly that rules them out as well…"

"I'm not _that_ short." She claimed.

"You're shorter than me. And I'm a dwarf, so what does that tell you? Now answer the question, please." He nudged her with a smile.

"A very tall dwarf! And I don't think I will, just yet." She saw Thorin's brow furrow and quickly added, "My intentions are pure and my history is an open book but for now, can we please let my heritage lie? I promise I will tell you when the time is right, but right now let's rest and eat. Tomorrow is a new day for us all to get to know each other." She didn't want him to judge her just yet as she knew he probably would because of her lineage, not to mention that her mother had been cast out from her dwarfish clan for being half human and loving an elf. No, better to leave those details for later.

He considered for a moment. "Very well Lady Lori. We shall continue this conversation at another time."

"I'm no Lady, Sire. I will tell you that much, so please just call me Lori."

"Thorin then." She looked as if she was about to protest but Thorin held his hand up. "It's only fair, and even those who know me as their leader don't call me by title. After all I cannot be a king if I have no kingdom." There was a deep sadness in his eyes and Lori thought it best not to push the matter. At least not yet.

"Very well Thorin," she said and took his arm with a gentle smile. "Shall we go to dinner?"

The dwarf looked at the ground and she could have sworn that he turned red under the beard as he led her to the door and gave it three solid knocks. He looked at her and they shared quiet smile before the door was opened by the Wizard and Thorin directed his attention at him. The dwarf was introduced to their host and gave him a gentle ribbing while Lori slipped inside and hung her pack and cloak on a hook. She frowned a bit at the display because the poor hobbit didn't even know he was being tested and found wanting in the eyes of the rugged dwarves.

"Bilbo, may I introduce to you Lori Lórindol. A good friend of mine and a more charming woman you will be hard pressed to find." Gandalf interrupted the merriment going on at Bilbo's expense.

Lori almost jumped to the foreground of the party to meet him and not seem as if she was hiding in the corners of his house. "A pleasure to meet you master hobbit," she curtsied.

"Th- The pleasure is mine, miss," he said after having collected his wits. "I saw you this morning with Gandalf I believe?"

"Indeed. And I apologize for not introducing myself before, but you gentlemen seemed engaged in conversation until you were… otherwise occupied indoors?" She tactfully explained.

Bilbo went bright red and started to stammer and mumble something about having received vital mail and being late for elevensies and if she wouldn't like to come inside for supper?

"I would be delighted master Baggins. Thank you so much!" She beamed at him as she took his arm, and he seemed to momentarily forget everything that had to do with wizards, adventures and cursed dwarves pillaging his pantry and throwing his pottery around.

The dwarves filled into the dining room leaving no room to wiggle now that Thorin had also occupied the end of the table as the leader he was. Bilbo seemed at a loss where to put his last guest for a minute, until Lori gently whispered to him. "Anywhere quiet is fine. No need to stand on ceremony for me." She winked at his surprised expression.

"You'll have my best armchair then, and perhaps I could interest you in a book while you relax, miss?"

"That's very kind. And please call me Lori. After all I'm a guest in your home and I hope to someday call you my friend as well."

"Lori it is," Bilbo said and smiled. "Here we are, I'll be right back with… whatever I have left in the kitchen, I suppose…" Looking once more miserable he pattered out of the sitting room leaving Lori to browse his books, the homely decor and the pictures on the walls. There was one with a stout but somewhat mischievous looking hobbit in it and she wondered who it was. He looked like he could have been fun to know.

The room was candle lit and the fireplace lay dormant at the moment so Lori squatted down in front of it to light the fire with some kindling and wood she saw in a basket by the door. Alas, there seemed to be a firestone missing, so she tried to conjure a small flame as she'd seen Gandalf do often enough. It was good practice even though there were plenty of candles to use for fire.

As she sat and glared concentrated on the kindling, the dwarf Bofur came into the room and watched her for a minute before stating, "You know lass, It's not going to combust no matter how hard you look at it."

Lori yelped in surprise and the kindling burst into flame, making Bofur jump back I shock.

"You scared me, master dwarf! How is it that you can sneak up on me like that? Aren't dwarfs notoriously loud?" Lori said as she tried to calm her heartbeat.

Bofur looked almost affronted, "I wasn't sneaking at all, you were just not paying attention! And how did you do that?" He pointed to the fire.

"Oh, that," she blushed a bit and fiddled with her fingers. "I- I have a bit of magic in me… Gandalf is teaching me to use it and I was just practicing." Carefully she looked up at the dwarf to see how he would react.

He seemed to think this over for a bit until his features relaxed and he pulled out his pipe to stuff it with tobacco. "Hmm… I suppose that is a right handy skill to have in a tight spot." He sat down on the stool next to her and asked, "Mind giving us a light then?"

"Oh! I- I would, but you'd be here all night I'm afraid. And even if I should succeed I have no guarantee that I wouldn't end up burning your beard off in the process. I'm not very talented in the art of control, as you just saw." She gestured to the fireplace sheepishly.

Bofur laughed and nodded, "I'll risk it lass. My beard could use a good trimming anyway. Just give it a try." He leaned forward and pulled on his pipe in case she could actually produce the fire.

"I thought all dwarves wanted long and elaborate beards?" she asked.

"Oh aye, we take great pride in them to be sure. But seeing as I haven't had the opportunity to cultivate this one into anything special yet, a fresh start wouldn't do it any harm. It'll grow out thicker afterwards I imagine." And once more he stuck his face closer to hers, sucking on the pipe with an expectant expression.

Lori looked doubtfully at him for a moment before letting the matter go and concentrating on the tobacco weeds. The energy to provoke the fire kept eluding her as she stared and stared at the pipe head for several minutes. Meanwhile Bofur studied her face in return with an amused air about him.

"So why are you travelling with the wizard then," he struck up a conversation in the awkward silence. "Are you his servant?"

She tried to keep her concentration but her brow furrowed. "No I'm not. More like his apprentice, but not quite."

"So you live with him?" He pressed.

"I suppose… when we stay somewhere long enough to call it home…" she raised her hand on each side of the pipe to hold her energy there. "He took me in when my mother died of fever a few winters ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Bofur seemed saddened by this. "All of us know the feeling of losing family and home."

"Yes, I know… And thank you, but I didn't really have a home before then either. We were… wanderers of a sort."

He huffed and shifted on the seat, "you'd fit right in with us lass."

She lifted her eyes to him and smiled with radiance, "I'm so glad you think so. Maybe this journey won't be as desolate as I thought it might have been."

Bofur sputtered a bit, "Pardon?"

"The quest," She explained. "I'm going with you, and it's nice to know that at least one person of the company thinks me welcome."

He jumped up and dropped his pipe as he rubbed his neck in a flustered movement that left his hat askew. "No no no no, ye canna'e come with us lass. It'll be the death of ye for sure!"

Her face fell and she felt the disappointment squeeze her heart before frustration claimed her thoughts. "Not you too! I had this conversation once tonight already!" She threw her hands up. "Thorin seemed to think that a woman's only place is by home and hearth as well, what is it with you dwarves?!"

The dwarf looked taken aback at this and tried to compose himself before he said, "You already spoke to Thorin about this? When?"

"Before we arrived here. Didn't you notice that we came at the same time?" she was getting a bit annoyed with him.

"Ah, right. Well then there you have it. You can't come if he says no, it's his company." He said smugly.

"Sure I can, I'm a companion to Gandalf, not Thorin. So there! You'll just have to live with me for as long as we chose to stay, like it or not." She rose and marched to the armchair where she plumped herself down and crossed her arms, signaling that the conversation was over. At that moment Bilbo arrived with his hands full of soup, bread, utensils and a napkin.

"Is everything alright?" He queried.

"Perfect, mister Baggins. Ah, thank you, that smells delicious." She warmed towards him and accepted the bowl of soup graciously.

"I'll be right back with a mug of our finest summer ale, miss." And he scurried off again.

Bofur who was not one to leave an argument lying in ill humor scooted closer to the armchair and folded his hands, elbows on his knees. "Look lass, I meant no offence. Truly I was just shocked at the idea of a fine young woman like yourself in the company of thirteen dwarf men when you have no guardian."

Lori looked at him completely bewildered.

"It's just not proper is all…" Bofur tried.

She shook her head and almost laughed at the notion, "You're afraid for my virtue? Tell me master dwarf, would you or any of your comrades assault me or behave in any untoward manner?"

Bofur looked scandalized. "No! Absolutely not!" Then he amended, "They just may not always know _how_ to behave in the company of a woman though… some of them hardly even know any, see."

"I'll live, I assure you." Her tone turned softer as she realized that he was nervous for her. "I don't offend easily and I'm not some noble Lady who's spent her life crocheting and gossiping or whatnot. And I'm sure I'll have you looking out for me, the gentleman you are, as well." She flattered.

He didn't look convinced, but wasn't inclined to continue the discussion either. When Bilbo arrived with her ale he excused himself to join the other dwarves in the dining room for their meeting. "I guess I'll see you later, lass."

"You will," she smiled, making him relax a bit once more.

Her supper was sublime and fulfilling, nothing could ever be said about the hobbits' cooking but that it was just so. Afterwards she leaned back happily and took one of the books on the table besides her called 'Silmarillion'. Apparently it was a book about the myths surrounding the creation of Arda and the races of elves and dwarves, so she dove into it happily. Soon, she lost track of the names, though, and started to doze off.

As she slept, a haunting melody in deep, beautiful voices and a song of loss and fire penetrated her mind and left a heavy stone in her heart, threatening to bring her to tears even in dreams. It also left her with a feeling of hope and determination so very great, as well as a longing for a home and love of her own that she had never felt before.

She didn't notice when someone put a blanket over her and tucked a pillow beneath her cheek. Nor did she feel it when they gently ran their fingers down one of her sleek braids and whispered, "Goodnight Lori. Sleep well."

..o00O00o..

**Thanks to my beta we get this out today, so yay for her! Remember to drop me a line so I know what you think of it.**


	4. Chapter 4

Lori woke up slowly as the first slivers of dawn began to brighten the sky outside. The open window let in a fresh scent of new summer rain and the first blackbirds started their morning serenades. All around her on the floor snoring piles of blankets were strewn, assumed each containing a dwarf. It was a wonder she had slept this long in the position she sat and with the ungodly roars surrounding her. As she came to she realized it was because she had been tucked in with a pillow and a blanket as well as a stool for her feet, making sure she didn't get a kink in her neck, turned cold or slipped to an uncomfortable position. She wondered who would have been so kind, as it was unlike Gandalf to care for such trivial matters.

She stretched and yawned and considered burrowing deeper into her blanket when the first ray of sun peeked over the horizon and hit her smack dab in the middle of the face. Grumbling, she threw the blanket off and balanced on tip toes through the gauntlet of sleeping dwarves. There were nine of them she counted and all the younger ones were there. The elder ones, Dori, Balin, Oin and Bifur must have gotten guest rooms for the night.

A bathroom was easy enough to find so she relieved herself and washed up for the day before she went to put her leathers on. Today was the day when they set out on their long trek to Erebor and because she knew that she was largely unwelcome, she wanted to be as ready possible so nobody would get an excuse to complain against her.

She tied the straps on her fitted cuirass and donned her vambraces on fore- and upper arms and finished with her shoulder pauldrons. Then she strapped four throwing knives in leather scabbards to each boot, three bigger ones to each thigh and her sai in their sheaths around her hips. Last she put on her long, pale grey wool cloak that was lined in white fur. So were her boots, to keep her as warm and dry as possible in all sorts of weather. Her mirror image stared back at her with a determined look until she put up her hood and swished out the door to go ready her pony.

When she arrived at the stable, supplies for the first leg of the journey had been delivered to the stalls and she happily packed her rucksack, her bed roll and all of her saddlebags while she hummed the slow tune of her dreams and ate a couple of cinnamon rolls. Her pony was a gelding called Hopscotch and she gently woke him while brushing his short, mocha colored fur and black mane and tail. He had black socks and a white blaze on his nose. Normally he was a bright, lively and sturdy pony but it seemed that it was too early in the day for him to be acting up, because he neither begged for treats or nipped her butt when she bent to clean his hooves, which he usually always did without fail.

Lori finished combing through his mane and tail, trimmed his bangs so they wouldn't get in his eyes, oiled down the saddle and bridles and finally deemed him ready for saddling up.

"You must be the most pampered pony I know, Hopscotch," she said as she gave him a few carrots. "Just look how shiny and handsome you are."

The horse nickered and pushed her roughly with his head and Lori smiled fondly at him. "Easy there you charmer, let's get this gear on you, what do you say?"

She heard voices outside just as she finished loading Hopscotch with equipment. Not a minute later the dwarves all piled in through the door in small groups. Oin, Fili and Nori were discussing what the odds were of Bilbo turning up once he awoke, and Nori ended up taking wagers on the matter. Gandalf put in one as well, saying that Bilbo wouldn't be able to ignore the Took in him, whatever that meant.

"Ah! Lori. Good, I was wondering where you'd gone off to," Gandalf smiled at her as he strode to the end of the stable where his horse stood next to Hopscotch. "Ready, my dear?" He winked.

She took a deep breath and sighed. "Let's do this," her back straight, she took the bridles and pulled Hopscotch out into the aisle, towards the door. Most of the dwarves looked surprised but wished her a good morning all the same.

Kili gave her an open grin and a wave. "Will you be joining us on the road, miss?"

"I will indeed. I trust you all slept well?"

"Oh, like rocks I assure you. How far will you be travelling with us then?"

Lori almost sighed aloud at the thought of another confrontation on the subject, but she supposed she might as well tell the rest of the company in one go, so she could start the adventure with honesty and openness, if not from rock bottom.

"I'll go as far as the will of the wizard and my fate takes me. I've always wanted to see the dwarves' kingdoms and what better place to start than with Erebor, hmm?"

To say that Kili looked surprised would have been a grave understatement, and as Lori looked around the dwarves all had expressions of varying shock, horror and disbelief except the two who already knew of her plans. Thorin looked angry and Bofur seemed wary and a bit sad.

"Now, before any of you start, know that I'm not part of the company any more than Gandalf is, and this is my own free choice. I'm not coming to take your gold but to help you in your quest. My fighting skills are not great but my mind's made up and you'll not dissuade me from this. So please, don't try." She walked proudly past the gaping dwarves, somewhat satisfied with her speech.

When she was outside she mounted Hopscotch and adjusted the stirrups as a great ruckus erupted inside the stable. All of them were shouting over each other, trying to make sense of what she had just told them and dissuade both Thorin and Gandalf from letting her come.

'Valar, you'd think I'd threatened to walk to Erebor in the nude, the way they are carrying on,' she thought as she tried to not let the loud protests and upset gestures get under her skin. Among the shout she heard "It's not proper!" "She'll get killed!" "What about sleeping arrangements?" Something in khuzdûl from Bifur and "Thorin, you have to stop this!"

They sure hadn't exaggerated when they'd told her it was against their customs to let women go on adventures.

Thorin stood still as a cliff in the maelström of complaints, supporting his hands on his sword and gazing steadily at Lori as if to say 'I told you so' and to silently pass the requests of his men on to her. Her face flushed at being caught in his stare and for a long while she was unable to rip her eyes from his. Gandalf stood aside and watched the quiet communication between the two with a bemused smile, but said nothing to the demands of the dwarves either. In the end, Lori finally averted her eyes and turned Hopscotch towards the east road.

She heard Thorin address the men gruffly, "It's out of our hands. Saddle up." There were a few undignified huffs, but none protested after that, and soon they were on their way out of the Shire with Gandalf in the lead.

..o00O00o..

Riding in front of the company she felt stares at the back of her head almost constantly. It was unpleasant to say the least, but she was determined to wear the men down during the next weeks, if at all possible. After a few miles, though, it was getting hard not to turn around and shout at the obstinate dwarves to just draw a blighted picture and get it over with, so when the hobbit's shouts echoed through the woods, she almost cried out in relief. Here was one she might be able to talk to and gain friendship with if all else failed. She would not be alone in her estrangement from the men.

She stayed at the front of the line as Gandalf fell back to welcome Bilbo and assure him that he never doubted him. Lori's mood was vastly improved at the little hobbit's apparent surprise that he had made it. When he requested that they go back after his pocket-handkerchief she all but burst out laughing and only the fear of drawing unwanted attention once more kept her from it. He had a lot to learn about life as an adventurer it seemed.

When night fell and Thorin declared that they would make camp, she first tended to her tired pony and then went to help Bilbo get settled. Chances were, after all, that he had no idea how to set up his sleeping arrangements so he wouldn't risk sleeping in a puddle or an ant hill.

"Oh hello miss Lori. I didn't know you were coming as well… But I suppose it's only natural when you're travelling with Gandalf," he smiled at her.

"Hey Bilbo. It's been a well disputed subject, but yes, I intend to come with you, and I thank you for your acceptance. Do you need any help getting settled?"

"Uh… I don't know what you mean? Don't I just find a spot and roll out my bed?" He frowned.

"Yes, but you wouldn't want to be too close or too far from the fire, you probably shouldn't be on the periphery of the group since you aren't armed. In case of rain you need to make sure you stay dry, and there's a great deal to gain by avoiding bugs and critters where you lay your head," she winked at him and held out her hand for his bed roll.

"Oh! Well in that case… I suppose I would be grateful for the help. Thanks." He said.

They found a spot for him and Lori patted him on the back to let him know they were done. Her own equipment was still where she left it but when she went to grab it, Thorin beat her there and snatched her bags and bed roll as she reached for it.

"What's this? Are you going to make me sleep on the cold ground to get me to leave now?" She crossed her arms and glared at him.

He stopped and returned her burning look, "Of course not. There's a bivouac for you behind those trees over there," he pointed towards a group of thick pines a few yards away from the camp. "There's a fire going, and I'll make sure to set a guard shift through the night." His free hand turned and he held it out to offer her assistance over the short distance.

Her bafflement had her locked in place as she did her best imitation of a fish on land.

His face melted into a gentle smile and he took her hand, prodding her softly to follow him. "Come, Lori. You deserve rest as much as any of us and we have provided you with privacy."

Her mind went numb and all she could do was follow him and obey his wish. The warm hand surrounding hers was calloused and firm and somehow set her skin on fire where it touched her.

"I- Well… Thank you. But I really don't want to be an inconvenience, Thorin."

He huffed sarcastically and looked at her doubtingly, but didn't elaborate further. "Bifur takes first watch with you, I'll be next myself, then Gloin and last Bombur until morning. Someone will bring you supper in a short while." He nodded once and turned to leave.

"Wait!" she saw him cringe before he looked at her over his shoulder.

"Why am I under watch?" her tone was bitter and a bit pathetic even to her own ears, as if she was close to weeping. "Don't you know that I wouldn't hurt anyone? I'm only here to help you all, you know…"

Like lightening Thorin whirled around and grabbed her by the shoulders as he shook her, "I know that, woman! The watch is for your protection, not ours! I told you before, we safeguard our women…"

With that, he looked like he had just accidentally revealed the secret door to Erebor to his worst enemy, and all but ran back to the camp in long agitated strides and sat himself down furthest away from her by a cliff wall.

"Our women…" A slow smile of understanding crossed her lips. Maybe they would accept her as one of their own still. Not that she wanted to be such a burden that they had to make an extra camp for her and set the watch, but if it stemmed from their including her in the party she would take it for now. She also needed to prove to them that they needn't treat her with such gallantry, but that would come in time when they learned how crude she could be in casual company.

Before long, Bifur came over carrying two steaming bowls of stew and the smell of it made Lori's mouth water. After the meal they sat in silence for a while, making Lori squirm at the awkwardness of it. She figured she might as well venture a conversation with him even though from what she had seen, the axe imbedded in his skull prevented him from making any sense in the common tongue.

"Hey Bifur, you lived in Erebor before the siege of the dragon, right?" He nodded slowly. "What was it like? Can you tell me?"

There was a long silence as he thought about it, and then he started with soft words in khuzdûl and moved his hands to show her. 'The caves were grand, grander than you could imagine,' she translated. 'With cities built into the stone and pillars as large as the bones of the mountain.'

'There were levels upon levels of platforms where houses, businesses and royal buildings spread out.' His voice rose slowly in elation as he told her of his former home.

'Instead of a starlit night sky the endless vaults of the mountain ceiling were covered in gems that twinkled and winked at the people beneath. The depths beneath Erebor were so deep and dark that it felt as if the mountain sat on your chest when you ventured there, but oh the riches that were to be found there!'

His speech was eager by the end and when he saw by her rapture that she understood most of his tale, he scooted closer to her and pulled a small golden music box inlaid with tiny gems depicting dancers out of his bag. He turned the handle and it played a merry little tune in plinking cords. He looked at her and gestured that he'd made this. It was marvelous.

She studied the dancers closely and complimented him on the artistry of the trinket. It must have been made for someone very rich, indeed, but Bifur denied this and gestured to a short person, a baby in his arms.

"Do you have family, Bifur?" Lori asked carefully. His eyes turned full of sorrow and he nodded. 'Two children and a wife, all dead in the flames.' Lori felt tears pressing behind her lids as she saw the scars on the poor man's soul. "I'm so sorry… So very sorry."

She took his hand and they sat still together for a long time until Bifur breathed a deep sigh and let go of her hand with a grave nod at her.

He picked up his little bag of tricks and pulled out a clarinet that he began to play a soft melody on. Lori relaxed her mind as she watched the burning logs on the fire, letting the heat pleasantly warm her and the tune tell its story. She felt at ease for the first time since leaving the stables that morning.

When he finished and rose, he patted her gently on the shoulder and went back to the main camp. It was getting late, so Lori went over to the nearby stream to fill a pot with water to heat for a wash. It had been a long, warm day in full armor so she looked forward to getting clean and sleeping until morning.

Just as she reached her little camp she was nearly trampled down by a frantic looking Thorin. "Where were you?" - was all the apology she got.

"By the creek to get water. Please, calm down. I'm perfectly fine, and you'd have heard it if any wild and hungry rabbits had wanted a fight me I'm sure." She smirked and patted his arm as she skipped by him.

"You should not be so careless as to wander about alone. Not fifteen minutes ago Bilbo heard shrieks in the darkness that we did not know to identify. Please stay within the light of your fire where we can see you."

She thought it over for a bit but then looked at him with a challenge, "then how will I bathe? Will you watch me skinny dipping in the river as well?"

He colored rapidly and averted his eyes from hers, "No, of course not… I'll make a stop once in a while if we come upon water and then we can scout out a safe place for you to clean up in private. Or you could just not bathe at all until we reach civilization once more." He looked almost hopeful.

"Absolutely not! Don't you know that I'll catch infection and death if I never clean myself? And heavens knows how many months we'll be travelling… There are other concerns for a woman as well in that regard!" She was completely aghast.

Thorin looked puzzled and tilted his head slightly, but Lori just threw up her arms and rolled her eyes at him. "Please don't make me spell it out for you…" He still looked as if she was speaking in another language. "Monthlies, master dwarf… A woman's monthlies." She was completely mortified and hid her face in her hands, just wishing he'd magically go 'poof' and disappear.

Realization dawned upon him and as his brow shot up his face turned impossibly red under his beard. "Oh… Oh! Right… Never mind. We'll just… Stop to bathe along the way… Please excuse me, I watch better from the darkness… Without the light in my eyes that is… Goodnight… Lori. Sleep well."

He hurried off to the shadows where he quickly found a tall rock to use as a lookout post. He watched as she heated the water and then climbed into the bivouac. The blasted canvas was backlit by the fire, so when she removed her armor and shirt to wash up, he got a clear silhouetted view of her generous bosom and slim waistline before he abruptly turned around to face the blackness of the forest.

He squirmed for a bit to find a comfortable sitting position; somehow his clothes had started snaring at him in the past half hour. When he finally calmed down enough, he huffed in contempt at himself and mumbled under his breath.

"Damned woman…"

..o00O00o..

**Looks like I caught the writing bug on this one. Thanks to Winsome Elf, Ninediva, Whiskas395 (my dear beta), Just4Me, Lady Legend-Maker, Lady La-sara and Blood White Rose for reviewing, as well as every single reader.**

**Don't be shy. Please review**


	5. Chapter 5

The next day started with a meal of rolls and seed cakes from the hobbit's supplies and then they packed up camp to get going. As soon as she rolled up her bed, Fili and Kili were there to take down the makeshift tent. Lori frowned and tried to stop them, "Really, I don't need you to do this for me. I can pack up my own things."

None of them stopped what they were doing, though, but Fili smiled at her, "Nonsense, miss. We are at your service for as long as you travel with us." To which Kili adamantly nodded. "Aye miss, you'll want for nothing whilst in our company. Mother raised us better than that!"

"It's our pleasure, I assure you." Said Fili.

"We'll take good care of you," Kili added.

"Protect you,"

"Feed you"

"Keep you warm,"

"And treat you like a lady." Kili finished and they both gave a great and final nod simultaneously.

'No wonder they didn't want me to come if they expected to be in servitude just by my presence' Lori thought. "Friends! Please stop. You're making me feel like a burden and that was never my intention by coming. You don't coddle Gandalf either, and I only wish to be treated the same way as him. That's how my mother raised me, you see."

Fili and Kili looked at each other for a second and then Fili turned to her in slight regret, "I'm sorry miss, but right now we are also under orders to see to your tent, so we must. Speak to Thorin if you don't want our help."

"I... It's not that I'm ungrateful! It's just a bit much, is all…" She tried to explain when she saw their fallen faces. "Please try to understand. I've fended for myself my entire life, traveled the world with my mother and only had ourselves to fend for. I'm used to pulling my own weight, so it's foreign to me to have you men treating me like I'm such a- a…"

"Woman?" Kili suggested with a teasing smile.

Lori deflated with a sigh. "I guess that's how you would see me…"

The brothers looked at her and both their faces showed confusion.

"Well of course," Fili gestured up and down her body with a very appreciative expression. "Not much to be in doubt of there, miss." He winked at her.

"No! What I meant was…" She noticed that Kili was trying to hold back a snicker. She shifted her weight to one foot and put her hands in her sides. "Are you making fun of me?"

"oh no M'lady!" Fili said with a face that was entirely too innocent to be trustworthy. "I would never!"

Now Kili actually did snicker as he turned away to hide it by resuming his work.

"I mean it from the bottom of my heart that the… Ahem… Lovely figure of your… Body! –left no room for doubt that you are, in fact, a woman." Fili back pedaled a bit and tried hard to not stare below her neckline. He failed.

"Yes and I meant that woman or not, I would like to be treated as a capable and independent person in my own right, as I have always been before." She glared at him.

"Oh.. Of course miss," He looked her in the eyes again. "I meant no disrespect. My apologies if I have offended you in any way. As I said, you'll have to talk to Thorin if you want our orders changed."

Frustrated, she threw up her hands and went to tie the last of her things to Hopscotch, just as Thorin called to move out.

..o00O00o..

Lori rode next to Gandalf in front of a the dwarf leader, who had grunted sourly at her 'good morning' when she passed him earlier that morning. She spoke quietly to the wizard so they weren't overheard.

"Gandalf, I could use your advice."

"Yes?" he turned to look at her.

"I'm not sure how to say this, but… It's the men. How do I get them to stop seeing me as some feeble woman who can't fend for myself?" She tried to explain. "I don't want them to think that I don't appreciate their chivalry, but I also don't want them to treat me so differently."

"Oh, I'm perhaps not the best person to speak to about those matters my dear. But it seems to me that if you want them to view you differently, you'll have to show them who you really are instead of the image they already seem to have of you."

"What are you talking about?" Lori was confused.

"The dwarves have a preconceived idea of who you are and how you should be treated due to your fair gender, and if you wish to change this, it stands to reason that you'll have to change what they see you as."

"But how?"

"Be yourself. Do as you've always done, meet the world head on with open eyes, stand up for yourself and the rest will take care of itself, I suspect." He chuckled.

"That is entirely unhelpful, Gandalf." Lori huffed.

"I told you I was not the best person to talk to about this. Talk to Thorin if you have a problem with day-to-day matters within the company!" He kicked his horse into a trot and went to look ahead.

She glanced back at the grumpy dwarf, not looking forward to bringing a complaint before him after the greeting she had received earlier. And only on the second day of their travels. She pulled Hopscotch back to ride next to him in silence for a bit, waiting for him to say the first word.

"Where is Gandalf off to?" He grumbled.

"He likes to scout up the road sometimes, but he'll be back before we need him I suspect." Her back was straight but her eyes stayed on her pony's bobbing ears.

"I see. And why are you not with him?"

"I- I thought I might have a word with you, if that's alright?"

"What about?"

"Um… Well… It's about what we talked about the other night," she started.

"If we've already talked about it, I'm sure there's nothing more to say." He urged his furry pony ahead and Lori just looked aghast at the back of his head.

"Now wait just a minute… Excuse me!" she almost shouted. "I'm not done yet!"

His shoulders sagged minutely and he slowed his flight. When she caught up to him she was practically fuming.

"Now I don't know who pissed on your plum-cake this morning, but when I have something to talk about you had better listen up, dwarf. I will not be dismissed as some sort of beggar because you have something stiff stuck in an uncomfortable place, thank you very much! You can tell me what I did wrong, or you can treat me like a civilized person."

Thorin looked down at the furious woman, speechless at her demanding, crude words.

"Oh I wouldn't worry miss." Fili, who was behind them interjected. "He's always like that when he's gotten too little sleep."

"Or when he's having a bad hair day," Kili piped up.

"Or when someone talks of elves,"

Or when…"

"Yes, thank you!" Thorin finally interrupted the pair, though he didn't quite manage to sound as menacing as he might have liked.

"Any time, uncle." Fili quipped before he held his tongue with a smirk.

Lori, whose head had whipped back and forth between the brothers, came to a still at Thorin. "That's it? That's why you've been acting like a grumpy old bear all morning? You stood watch over me last night, so you're tired…" She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "And what about tonight? Will you sleep then?"

"Not that it's any of your concern, woman, but no. I have watch over the main camp tonight."

"So by all accounts, this mood you're in will be even fouler by morning?" She looked slightly horrified at the thought.

"Look," Thorin said with a sigh. "You wanted to talk. So talk."

"Alright. Well, it's about the services you and your men have done for me…" Thorins head whipped towards her and a shadow fell over his eyes. Something about her words had poked at his wounded pride and he didn't like the way it sounded.

"Now, know that I'm grateful for your help, and that_ I_ know it all comes from a place of great gallantry, I really do." Lori held up her hands to stop him from interrupting her. "But I will not be a burden to the company. If I sleep in a tent it is because I have raised and set it myself. If I warm myself by a fire or eat a meal it is because I have made or contributed to it. I insist that your men don't pack my things in the morning, - this includes the bivouac - and I will not have you exhausting yourself by standing watch over me."

By then Thorin was glaring at her. "What will you have us do? Leave you to the wolves?"

Lori scoffed at him, "I can defend myself, you know. You needn't be so worried."

"None of us will sleep a wink knowing that you are in the dark, alone. And this is your solution?"

"Of course not." She shrugged. " Let me sleep within the company and you'll have no problem with guarding me. I already slept in the same room as them at Bilbo's house. And I know that they snore…"

"Hey!" - came Kili's voice. "I do not snore!"

"Aye, you're practically dead silent when you sleep," Fili said, to which Kili nodded proudly at Lori. "You drool in stead."

"Do not! But you fart." He shot back in petulant outrage.

"No, that's Bombur…"

"Boys!" Thorin shouted. "Stay out of it."

"… So you see, I don't have a problem with their sleeping habits." Lori finished. "In fact, I might feel safer surrounded by you all." The last bit was said with a half-smile that Thorin did a double take on.

He inclined his head in what looked like a concession for a moment. "I'll consider it." It didn't escape his thoughts that if she was going to wash up in her bivouac at night it would be out of the question to put her in the middle of the group. Neither she nor his men would be comfortable with such breach of modesty. Not that she knew he'd seen her and he firmly intended to keep it to himself.

"Of course if it rains, I'll expect the canvas to be used for shelter for everyone, not just myself."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

He looked at her pointedly. "I will not allow it."

"For the company to stay warm and dry, when there's a perfectly good canv…"

"No."

"You're being unreasonable." She implored.

"Absolutely not. I've told you this before, we are gentlemen who…"

"And this is the wild! Would you rather condemn your men to fever and misery than share a shelter with a woman?"

He sat in thunderous silence while he fumed over her words.

"No. I would rather you had listened and stayed at home!" His words burned her like acid and she gasped at the unexpected pain. But she knew she had been warned, this was exactly what he had told her of the night he had met her. Bofur had as well in Bilbo's sitting room, but there was nothing to do about it now, for she blankly refused to turn back.

She felt the traitorous tears beginning to form and angrily pushed them back with a hard blink. "If that's how you feel and you're not interested in finding a solution, my Lord, I'll sleep where I find it most convenient for all of us." She stopped hopscotch by the wayside and waited until the last dwarf had passed, as well at a good fifteen minutes longer before she set out again.

Solitude was the best companion when she was angry, and angry she was indeed at the stubborn king. His pig-headed senses of propriety had no place in the wild where they would end up getting one or more of them killed. Who was he to tell her where she could sleep and that she had to have a guard anyway? No, tonight she would sleep next to the fires that were in the group, not cast aside like a leper.

Not half an hour passed before Bofur came trotting back in her direction with a great smile on his face. "There you are, lass. We were worried you'd gotten lost in the woods."

"We?" She couldn't help but return his happy smile.

"Aye, the lads and I. Thorin said to go fetch you before ye fell off a cliff or got eaten, but he's been a bad mood all day. I wouldn't pay him any mind."

"So I've noticed, and I'm afraid it might be my fault, seeing as he detests my presence so much," she added dejectedly.

"Oh come now, don't let it get to you." His charming lilt begged her to cheer up and when he turned his pony around next to hers he nudged her elbow playfully. "The man doesn't know what to do with you. Cut him a little slack, what do you say?"

"What makes him think that he has to _do_ anything with me?" Bofur blushed, but Lori didn't see it. "If he'd just let me travel in peace as any other we wouldn't have this problem. I'm a reasonable person, I wouldn't embarrass you guys but I also don't want you to go out of your way for me. Is that too much to ask?"

"He's just scared… He doesn't know what impact you'll have on the group or how they'll act with you around."

"Well, he'll just have to cool his heels and see for himself. I'm sleeping by your fire tonight."

"I thought you might." He shrugged.

"You don't mind?"

"Nah… But keep your clothes on, alright?"

Lori sputtered "Excuse me?"

"Your little séance last night… I imagine it was none too easy for our brave leader to avert his eyes from that shadow theater, but he did. So did I, by the way, but I wouldn't try it again in front of all the lads. Might make them rigidly uncomfortable, see." He winked conspiratorially at her.

She felt a furious heat break out and climb up her neck, towards her cheeks and finish at the top of her scalp and ears.

"Oh Aulë, shoot me now." She moaned and buried her face in both hands. Bofur just chuckled and watched the road.

"This makes so much sense now." She exclaimed. "All day he's been acting strange and wouldn't even say good morning."

"Perhaps it wasn't a good morning in his mind…" Bofur added.

"And his grumpiness,"

"No no, that's just Thorin for you…"

"And then he wouldn't look at me,"

"Probably had his fill…" Bofur snickered as she backhanded his arm in mock horror. "Ow, girl! You don't pull your punches, do you?"

"Actually, I did." She smirked. "Are you telling me my brave defender Bofur, that you can't even take a punch from a so called 'girl'?"

"Oh, you know my name, do you?"

"Of course…"

"Do you know all the lads' names?" He looked surprised.

"Sure. Not that I've been formally introduced, but Gandalf has told me quite a bit about you."

"Let's hear it then?"

"Alright… Thorin Oakenshield is your brave leader and king under the mountain once we reclaim it. Fili and Kili are his nephews by way of his sister, Dis, who I've never met but heard good things about. You and the rotund Bombur are brothers and cousins to Bifur, who is not of Durin's line, but of the dwarves of Khazad Dûm. He is also the one with an axe lodged in his head, who used to make toys and had a family in Erebor." She smiled triumphantly at him and continued.

"Dwalin and Balin are also brothers and were with Thorin when they defeated the orcs of Moria. Oin is the company's healer and he and Gloin are cousins of Dwalin and Balin and also present at the Battle of Azanûlbizar. Gloin has a young son called Gimli with the same red hair as his father. Last, Ori, Nori and Dori are brothers from the Blue Mountains and Ori is, I think, the youngest of the group."

"Most impressive! How do you know all this? We dwarves do not usually give away information about ourselves easily."

"I read a lot. And I listen when people talk. Poor Gloin misses his family, and Bifur told me of his past last night."

"But Bifur can't speak the common tongue… Do you mean to say that you understand khuzdûl as well?"

"I don't. Gandalf does, but he says it's secret, so he won't teach it to me…"

"Well that's something, at least."

"It's nonsense! I'm part dwarf, I should be allowed to partake in the secrets of my people!"

"You're what?" Bofur's brows completely disappeared under his silly hat. Lori realized she had said too much and tried to recover.

"But anyway, Bifur can make his thoughts known in other ways if he chooses, and if the person he's with has the right ear for listening. As I'm sure you know."

"Wait wait wait… Back up for a bit there. You're a dwarf?"

Lori sighed. "Part dwarf. So?"

"How does that even happen? And where's your beard? Did you shave it off?" He studied her face closer to see if there was any stubble on her chin.

"No. I don't grow a beard as a result of my other genes. Look, can we let it go, please? It's not something I'm very fond of discussing."

He leaned back again, "Sorry, didn't mean to pry. But surely you can see why it would peak my curiosity?"

"I can, but…"

"Oh come now, what's a few secrets between friends, eh?" He charmed.

"Promise you'll let me tell everyone else on my own terms?"

"I promise."

"And you won't think that I'm predisposed for… whatever you'll associate with my bloodlines?"

"I'll take your word for it and get to know you as you are, not for who your kin is, lass. Tell me!"

"Ugh, fine… My mother was half dwarf, half human."

"I see. That couldn't have been easy on you growing up."

"No. My family weren't really welcome in the clan after my grandparents had her."

"Some clans are worse than others, I'll give you that…"

"And my father…" The words stuck in her throat and she coughed once.

"Yes?"

"He… He was an elf, who I've never met… My mother loved him deeply, but he left before I was born… Before she even knew she was expecting me. We searched and searched for him, but in the end we learned that he'd sailed west, as some elves do." Her voice lessened to a pained whisper. "I think it killed my mother to know that he had abandoned her, us, without so much as a goodbye. She died in Gondor, where Gandalf found me in the streets alone, and he rescued me like the stray mutt that I am."

Bofur sat flabbergasted for a long time after that, just looking at her and taking in her features.

When the sun reached zenith and lunch was beginning to be a welcome thought, he finally said, "I must say, lass. That's some story! And if I may, I think you got the best traits from all of your kin." He smiled warmly and a great stone fell from her heart.

"Thank you. That means more to me than you know…"

"Anytime. Let's go find the lads and see what's for lunch, what do you say my little amalgamate friend?" He winked and she giggled.

"No nicknames!"

"I'll race you for it." He grinned. "You win; No nicknames. I win; I get to choose a really good one and use it as often as I please."

Lori mock-glared at him for a few seconds, before she tightened her legs on Hopscotch and suddenly spurred him forward in a fast gallop.

"Oy! No cheating!" Bofur called as he chased after her.

..o00O00o..

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	6. Chapter 6

Bofur won the race much to Lori's chagrin. She was winded and muddied but Hopscotch was much worse for wear, foaming with sweat and drool and shaking on his legs. The poor pony had given it his all but hadn't quite been able to match the larger mountain pony.

"It's okay, easy boy…" Lori patted him gently on the neck and hopped off to give him a break.

Not until then did she notice the stunned silence that pervaded the entire company, who all looked at them as if they were wraiths coming to steal their souls. The dwarves were scattered on rocks or below trees and had started eating lunch when the rambunctious two had come racing up the uneven and rock-strewn road.

In a circle by a cliff wall, all the ponies were gathered and at the late and wild arrival of their herd mates they were in a tizzy, not knowing whether to panic and stampede, or simply nay a welcome to their friends and Fili and Kili had their troubles subduing them.

Thorin had jumped up at the sound of galloping hooves and pulled out his sword. He came running at Bofur and shouted, "What is it? What is the matter?"

"This one fights dirty, tha's what's the matter," Bofur pointed a thumb back at Lori.

Lori merely scowled at him, a bit sore from her loss and not wanting to get into another fight with Thorin.

"What?" Thorin asked again.

"Aye. A real cheater. I wouldn't play cards with her, that's for sure." He looked as if the tall leader of the company wasn't armed and furiously glaring down at him as Bofur proceeded to unpack what he was going to eat for lunch and started to pull the saddle off his panting pony.

"_What?" _Thorin bellowed.

Hopscotch jumped and started to back away from the angry dwarf and Lori grabbed the reins to calm him down. "It's okay, shh… He's not going to hurt you." She whispered at his muzzle, effectively steadying the frightened animal.

"Do you really need to shout?" She asked. "We were just racing for goodness sakes." Bofur cringed as Thorin shifted his focus to glare incredulously at her.

He walked over to her and leaned over her, entirely intimidating and close enough that she could sense the smell of his leathers, the salt on his skin and the bread on his breath. Her meager height and the slight terrain difference made him tower over her by four inches, making her look up into his thunderous face.

Ever so slowly, as if trying to control the power of his anger, his large hands closed in an iron grip around her upper arms and he bent to look her in the eyes. The fire there was a very dangerous one, Lori knew for certain, but still she couldn't look away. She felt her breath lodge itself in her lungs and her heart beat faster as if telling her to run as fast as she could.

"You forget yourself, woman." He snarled so lowly that nobody but she could hear him. "If you wish to continue travelling along side with us you will never again question me like that, is that clear?"

She realized her mistake. To speak against him in front of his men was to challenge his authority, something that would not be tolerated whilst on a quest of this magnitude. He was a King. A leader of his people who had led them safely from Erebor to the Blue Mountains – a distance reaching across Middle Earth – Where he had built their new lives from nothing. This was a king, who had been exiled for the folly of his forbearers and suffered humiliation and defeat too many times over. A true leader and a great authority to his few but loyal men, and she had challenged that. She had neglected to recognize this one bit of power he had left and felt foolish for it.

"I- I truly apologize, your Majesty. It was not my intention and it won't happen again." Her breath fluttered back and she saw the fire in his eyes lessen to an expression that spoke of regret and almost longing.

His eyes searched her face for any trace of deceit or falseness but found none. He softened his grip but didn't release her yet. "You understand why I cannot let this go? Why I must address this?"

"I do." She spoke in a low tone that never travelled beyond the two of them. "I undermined your authority by arguing with you among the men. I still don't think your anger matched the crime, but I should have brought my concerns to you in private." She looked up at him timidly.

"Again, I apologize and understand if you need to reprimand me to prove your point to the men." Her eyes, now caught in the cerulean of his, discovered the wonder he felt as he recognized her strategic mind.

"How do you know all this?" he whispered. "Who are you?"

A slight worry formed in her stomach at the inquiry about her identity. "Isildur of Gondor wrote many journals on the dynamics of army life and warfare. I have read most of them over the course of the last five years. It is a privilege granted to me as the apprentice of Mithrandir, Sire." It was a slight deflection, but it was well hidden in truths.

The answer drew him closer to try to see what he was missing, and he all but fell into the spell of the violet tones in her eyes speckled with crystalline amethyst. Her shuddering breath drew his gaze to her soft pink lips that tempted him to touch and taste.

Suddenly, he pushed her back at arm's length, blinked hard, shook his head and sucked in a deep breath before he dared to look at her again.

"Why is it that every time I ask you something I feel as if you become a deeper mystery to me, woman?" She smiled gently and began to relax slightly, a change that he felt acutely through the contact of his hands on her.

"You just need to get to know me, Thorin, like you know everyone else here. You'll feel more at ease then."

"I do not need you to coddle me." He growled abruptly as a frown drew his brows down once more.

"No, but it _would_ seem you could use my guidance in how to treat _me_," she hissed sharply. "And while on the subject of coddling, the feeling is mutual!"An angry blush crept over her nose and cheeks.

"So you say," He conceded reluctantly. "And if that is the case, your insubordination will have to be punished as if you were anyone else."

"You can't punish me… I'm not actually _in_ your company." She explained.

"Make up your mind! Either you travel with us and you follow my rules, or you leave. Even Gandalf knows better than to cause discord within the group."

"I admitted I made a mistake, but…"

"Not publicly."

"What will you have me do? Fall to my hands and knees before you and… kiss your boots? Or maybe you mean to put me over your knee and give me a spanking? 'Cause I can tell you right now that's not going to happen!"

A furious blush spread under Thorin's beard and she was taken aback at its appearance. "What did I say?"

"Look…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't just keep you on double guard or latrine duty as I would any other who transgress…"

"Why not?" she put her hands in her sides and straightened up, making her body arch a bit towards him and he immediately let go completely and stepped back further.

"Let's not start that again." Thorin glanced pointedly at her and then spoke louder so everyone could hear him, "For the rest of the week, you'll ride last and it'll be your duty to collect whatever herbs or spices you find along the way that we can use. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," She answered, not wanting to repeat her mistake.

Thorin leaned in close and whispered, "I'll be on guard after supper, come find me then and we can talk. Maybe we can find a solution to this mess."

His hair caressed her cheeks and neck and she suddenly felt tempted to bury her face and take comfort in the warmth and scent of male that was Thorin, which made absolutely no sense to her since he had antagonized her from the beginning.

"Herbs and spices? You went from latrines to flowers?" She whispered jokingly.

"Consider yourself very, very lucky." His voice held a smile and his breath on her ear sent a shiver down her spine.

As he leaned back again, he caught her secret smirk. His features kept their austerity, but a slight humorous sparkle in his eye caught the light and Lori knew they had come to an understanding for the first time.

..o00O00o..

After lunch she fell back as ordered and rode behind the dwarves. She realized how it could be considered a punishment in combination with her task of finding usable plants, as she often fell behind and couldn't follow conversation with the others. It was a form of isolation.

Lori took to her task with vigor, because even though she knew how it might prevent her from a speedy integration with the dwarves on a friendly level, it would benefit her in the sense that they would accept her as a 'legal' member if she received her task and punishment from their leader.

She spotted basil leaves along the road and dismounted to collect it. A few yards into the forest there were sorrel and lemon grass which would certainly be a treat in the stew for supper. Then she spotted kingsfoil and a willow tree for healing, carrots and ginger, black pepper, almonds and on she went, away from the road and her pony. Eventually she made her way back towards Hopscotch though, and that's when she heard it.

The snarling growl of a wolf behind her, closely followed by its pack mates who were spreading out into a half circle.

There were six of them, large but ragged and skinny looking and all of them drooling at her scent. From what she could see they had not eaten well for a long time and she wondered where they'd come from for a brief moment. If they lived in these woods, there should have been plenty of game for them to be in better condition than they were.

But this was not the time for theories and distractions.

The leader of the pack snarled very loudly, and to her great desperation she heard Hopscotch whinny and take off up the road. She cursed under her breath. Now she had no escape, even if she somehow had managed to get back to where she'd left him.

Her hands found two throwing knives on her thighs and she slowly positioned herself so she didn't startle the wolves into action.

"I know you're hungry, and you think I'll taste good, but trust me friends. You don't want to do this…" She beckoned to the animals who were each as tall as herself and probably heavier. "I will not go down without a fight, and some of you may even lose your lives in this gamble."

She hoped against hope that her natural way with animals might dissuade them from killing her, but it was futile in the face of their hunger.

Three more seconds crept by and the leader took another step towards her before she whipped her arm at him and lodged a knife deeply into his brain through his eye.

The rest of them jerked as they saw him fall dead to the ground, twitching before going still.

"I warned him." Lori said. "And I tell the rest of you as well. Leave now and go find easier prey." Another throwing knife was unsheathed as she spoke softly, trying to exude more bravado than she felt.

A grey she-wolf was the first to snap her attention back to Lori and she did so with a vicious growl. Apparently she was next in command and just as hungry as the leader, because she wasted no time trying to close the gap between the two-legged female and herself. She fell three yards in front of Lori with a knife in her shoulder, howling and screaming in pain. It wasn't a fatal hit, but she was no longer able to get up.

The remaining four wolves tried to flank Lori, effectively dividing her attention between them making it a very dangerous situation for her. She had no way of knowing which ones would strike first, and this way the wolves could have eye contact to communicate across the field.

Lori quickly threw another knife at a younger looking wolf with slightly more meat on its bones than the rest, but the throw went wide and the animal danced sideways, escaping the knife's trajectory.

They started circling her in opposite directions so she had no way of following all their movements. Slowly the circle got smaller as they advanced on her position in jerky moves, making them hard to hit. As she took aim on a brown wolf, one of the others barked behind her and made her swirl to watch her back. Sweat was trickling down her back and her entire body was tense, every sense alert and the rushing roar of adrenaline filled her ears.

"Come on then, test your fangs against my blades, you cowards," she hissed. "Four against one, and it's still not good enough odds for you?" This would not end well for her, she knew.

There was a sudden hiss in the air followed by a deep 'thunk' as an arrow imbedded itself in the brown wolf's ribcage. It yelped, screamed and writhed in agony until another one euthanized it. Lori only just saw Kili a good way up on a hill before all three of the remaining wolves moved to attacked her.

"Lori!" She heard someone shouting as jaws of gleaming canines came rushing at her. She quickly ducked and the attacker flew over her and landed on the other side, twisting back towards her as quick as lightning. She gave the animal a swift roundabout kick to the head and rolled in the opposite direction to get some distance.

She pulled out her sai and was immediately tackled from the side by a red blur of claws and fur. Her pauldron took the brunt of the attack but she was knocked off her balance and landed beneath the behemoth of a beast. Both sai were swiftly pushed upwards into the heart of the wolf, but not before the wolf landed a wicked bite to the junction between Lori's shoulder and neck.

She screamed in pain and stabbed it desperately until it went limp and released its jaws. Her arms shook as she pushed it off her, but she needed to get to her feet quickly before she was killed.

As she became vertical she found herself looking at Fili who had his dual blades out and came rushing towards her with terror written all over his face.

"Lori! Are you hurt? We found your pony." His eyes went wider at seeing the blood on her neck and he completely overlooked the wolf who now aimed its attack at him.

"Look out!" She shouted as she threw one of her sai at the wolf in reflex. It imbedded itself in the animal's neck and threw it off-balance enough to give her time to jump on it and sever its carotid arteries with one of her remaining blades.

The last wolf sprang at Fili in desperation, but the combination of another arrow from his brother and a severed throat from his swords made quick work of the attack.

Lori marched over to Fili and grabbed his sword out of his hand, continuing past him to the wounded she-wolf, who now lay whimpering in pain, bleeding out slowly. She approached it from behind and wasted no time in stabbing it in the heart, releasing it from the agony of a slow death.

Then she collected all of her knives and her bag of herbs and took the sword back to the flabbergasted Fili.

"Thanks." She said. "I need healing. Let's catch up to the others." She tried to put pressure on her wound but it was difficult to manage.

Fili started to frantically fumble with his armor. "I can bandage it with my shirt…" He started.

"No, it's not that bad," Lori stopped him. "Let's just hurry back so Oin can have a look, ok?"

Kili came sprinting down the hill as fast as a rolling boulder, shouting. "Lori! Fili! Are you alright?"

"Lori's hurt and we need to get her back to the others," Fili stated.

"I'm injured, Fili, not dying. Calm down." At the look on Kili's face you'd have thought she just told him the opposite, so evident was the fear in his eyes.

"Oh no." He said as he grabbed her around the waist and started pulling her back up the hill at a hectic pace, Fili right behind them.

"I can run myself, Kili!" She shouted.

"Of course you can," he panted. "I'm just helping you run faster."

_'Stubborn dwarves!'_ She thought as she was all but dragged back to the company at break-neck speed.

..o00O00o..

When night started to fall and the order came to make camp, Lori got a bit apprehensive about how to conduct herself, but luckily Kili and Fili brought her the canvas instead of building her shelter away from the rest of them. Kili had a big grin on his face when he handed her pegs and tent ropes.

"Here you go Lori, all yours." Fili smirked.

Lori didn't trust those grins. Not at all.

"What did you do?" She eyed them suspiciously. A number of thoughts crossed her mind; Weakening or fumbling the cords, painting the canvas or writing something on it, dousing it with something stinky or wrapping up a dead squirrel to scare her.

"You wound us! We didn't do anything." Kili put a hand mockingly over his heart.

"In fact, _we_ didn't knock our uncle down a few pegs this afternoon."

"Nor did we start an argument in the middle of the company." Lori winced.

"And we _certainly _didn't make him all flustered,"

"and make him change his standing orders on how to treat our resident princess,"

"just by using our feminine wiles." Fili winked.

"We also didn't start a fist fight with a pack of wolves,"

"Slaying four of them single-handedly,"

"and saving poor Fili here in the process." Kili looked positively tragic.

"Hey, I had it in hand."

"Didn't look like it…"

"Hrmf… I guess I do owe you thanks, Lori, for killing that wolf… I'm ashamed to admit I hadn't seen it." The blond brother said in earnest.

"Yes, but you did come to the fair maiden's rescue in return, so I think the debt is settled, don't you brother?" He heartily slapped Fili on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Kili. That's very kind of you." Fili smiled self-satisfied.

Lori just stared at them in disbelief, then swiftly turned around and left their silliness without a word, much to their amusement.

She went to find a good spot for the bivouac. Thankfully the brothers let her be for the moment, although she had the impression they were not done teasing her. But there were worse things in the world. Actually, being teased by those two was kind of their initiation into the group, she suspected. After all, they had nearly scared Bilbo into wetting himself last night, just to test his mettle and have a bit of fun at his expense.

A while later after she'd finished her meal and collected some wood for her fire, Thorin got up and started up the hill to the cliff overlooking the camp. He caught her eyes just as he left the firelight and she knew he wanted her to follow him.

Drawing a sigh, she hoisted up the wood and started the short climb from her side of the camp, trying to muster courage and energy for yet another challenge on this long day.

She found him sitting in the dark with his back to a rock among the low brush and thought it somehow funny that the rock camouflaged him better than the vegetation. King of the mountain indeed.

"Come, sit." He invited.

She moved closer, cleared a patch in the grass and built a small campfire of her branches and twigs, using dry grass as kindling. Then she remembered that her flint and fire steel were in her pack by the tent.

Her nerves were raw from the day when she closed her eyes and tried to reach the magic in her core to start the flames of the fire with her hands, but slowly she eased into it.

"What are you doing?" Thorin suddenly asked.

She startled a bit at his voice, and a lively flame erupted between her hands, easily starting to feed off the kindling. "Yes!" She exclaimed happily. For once, nobody had their eyebrows singed at her experimentations.

Thorin had a look of pure shock on his face when she beamed at him. "I've never been able to do that before… At least not that controlled." She explained in excitement.

"You're a witch?" He asked incredulously.

Lori's face fell into a deep frown. "No! I don't do dark magic or poisons. Nor do I use magic to do harm… If you need a class for my meager powers, I'm a sorceress I suppose… Elemental skills, mostly… Though I'm not very powerful, at all…" Her voice trailed off and she wondered if it had been a mistake showing Thorin her talent when he didn't respond.

"I see… Wizard's apprentice, indeed." Was all he said.

They sat in comfortable silence for a little while as Lori tended to the fire.

"How are your wounds?" Thorin asked.

"Sore. But not too bad, Oin cleaned and treated them so infection should be held off… luckily, my collarbone and shoulder blade caught the teeth so it's not too deep."

"Good. It could easily have been fatal."

"I know." A shiver of fear trickled down her back. "I was lucky your nephews came for me."

A smile warmed his face, "They were falling behind all afternoon. Not something I have noticed them do before…"

"I see…" For once she was grateful for the chivalry of dwarves.

"You've set up your tent?"

Lori's back stiffened. "Yes I have."

"In our camp, I see?"

"Yes."

The silence stretched on as Thorin stared into the flames, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands loosely clasped.

"So be it. But if you need to bathe or wash, let me know and I'll arrange for more private settings."

She sat cross-legged next to him and suddenly found her fingers immensely interesting. "I know… Bofur told me."

"Told you what?" He turned his eyes on her.

"That I'd not been as hidden yesterday as I thought… I apologize if I made you uncomfortable."

He stared at her for a few seconds, taking in her delicate features, small nose and large, expressive eyes, The slenderness of her neck, now ending in thick bandages. The braids that all of her platinum blonde hair was tied into were coming slightly undone and the long day had painted her cheeks red with fatigue. He found her breathtaking and wild to behold, and there was a strange tugging in his stomach at the thought that Bofur might have seen her last night as well.

She felt him watching her, but still kept looking at her hands.

"No matter." He finally said. "We dwarves have always appreciated things of beauty and I'll certainly not hold yours against you."

She looked at him, slightly puzzled. "So you were not offended?"

A smirk spread on his lips and he looked pointedly at her. "No. I knew you were unaware of the view you presented."

"Then why were you… No, you know what, never mind. Let's just forget it."

"Very well." '- As if I could', he thought.

They spent the rest of his watch sitting comfortably by the fire, enjoying their truce and relaxing. Lori started to nod off as Thorin put a hand on her back, saying it was time to go to bed. Drowsily she made her way down to her tent escorted by the dwarf king.

"Goodnight Lori. Sleep well." He bowed slightly and gave her a gentle smile.

"Goodnight Thorin. Sweet dreams." She returned the smile and ducked under the canvas.

They didn't see Balin's sharp old eyes watching them, or Fili and Kili's shared look.

..o00O00o..

**THANK YOU, to everyone who reviewed and PM'ed me. And to my wonderful Beta Karen, whom this chapter would never have been written without. It was a bit of a struggle, so I hope you liked it.**

**Please let me know what you thought, good, bad, corrections or questions.**


	7. Chapter 7

Lori didn't know how long she had slept, but when she woke up, the dim light of a heavily clouded day shone on her shelter and the camp was bustling with the morning activities of the dwarves outside.

She stretched and yawned, enjoying the pop of some of her more rigid joints. Yesterday had been an unusual exertion and today she felt the brunt of it. Her neck and shoulder burned and twinged suddenly when she made a wrong move, stretching the injured skin and she let out a pained yelp. The camp stilled.

Not two seconds later she heard running boots and the unmistakable shout of Thorin. "Kili!" Then suddenly the young dwarf popped his head in though the opening in the canvas.

"Morning Lori! Are you alright?" He smiled sweetly at her and pointed to her shoulder.

"Ugh, good morning Kili. I'm fine, just a little sore…" She extracted herself from her sleeping bag and gestured to him, "Hand me my boots, will you? They're outside."

Kili disappeared and came back with her long leather boots, but when he saw her small white feet he faltered and stared.

Lori fumbled around for her socks and not before she found them did she notice the dwarf's glazed eyes.

"Uhm… Kili?" She tried. No contact. "Kili!"

He jumped and snapped out of it, handing her the boots with a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Fell under a spell there for a moment."

Lori's head snapped up and ice ran through her veins. "Who told you?"

"Told me what?" Kili looked completely mystified.

Realizing her slip, Lori cringed and pulled her socks and boots on to give herself time to come up with an answer. When none arrived she sighed and slumped but gestured to Kili to come inside and sit. He looked a bit uncomfortable and looked around at the camp first, but did as she wanted.

"You know that I travel with Gandalf, right?" She started carefully.

"Yes? You're his ward, right?"

"Well… Sort of. He took me in, so to speak since we don't have a home, back when I lived on the streets…"

"Yes, so?"

"The thing is… I'm also an apprentice of sorts. He's teaching me to use the magic I was born with. Elemental magic, mainly, but I also seem to have some skills of inspiration and nature magic, though none that I can manipulate yet."

"Okay… And who else knows this?"

Lori was taken aback at his calm demeanor. "You don't seem surprised?"

"A little… But you're travelling with a wizard so it's not a far stretch to imagine." He shrugged.

"Oh… Okay." Then something occurred to her. "Do many dwarves have magic?"

"Some do, but not very many. And our race has been thinned out over the past many years, so they're getting farther apart. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering how you were so calm, and also if that's where I had my powers from…"

Kili stared blankly at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well it could be some mystical fate that the gods bestowed on me due to the astronomy surrounding my birth, but it could also have something to do with my being part dwarf."

"Pardon… Your what?" Kili turned an ear at her, for surely he must have heard her wrong.

"I'm… My mother was a half-dwarf…" Suddenly nervousness hit her. Should she not have told him?

Kili gaped at her for a full three seconds before scrambling backwards, away from her. For some reason the opening in the canvas was completely hidden to him now and he tumbled into the fabric as he kicked her bed roll out from under himself. In his panic he un-pegged several of the tent lines and made the bivouac sack in one end.

"Kili, stop!" Lori shouted.

"I should not be in here." He managed to mumble as he pulled frantically at the canvas. "You're a dwarf girl and I'm in your bed. I shouldn't be in here... This isn't proper."

"Stop! Please, let go!" Lori tried to calm him down and pulled at his arm.

He jerked away from her and accidentally pushed her so she landed with a thud and a groan on her bed roll. "Sorry, Lori! I didn't mean to do that… I just have to…" Not another word was uttered due to the hand that had shot through the now visible opening and pulled Kili out so fast his head snapped to the side.

He was standing wobbly on his feet staring up at his thunderstorm of an uncle who now had his white knuckled fists at his sides. "Just _WHAT _do you think you're doing?" Thorin hissed.

Kili's eyes went wide with fear. He hadn't actually been on the receiving end of Thorin's rage before. Anger and exasperation, sure, but never this raw and barely restrained rage.

"N- Nothing!" He stuttered and held up his hands in surrender.

"Why were you in there?" Thorin had to consciously restrain his fist from crashing against his nephews skull. He kept hearing Lori's voice call for Kili to stop and let her go.

"T-To talk to her! I swear, uncle, we were just talking!"

Thorin gave him a shake of the head and glared him in the eye, "I find that hard to believe when she was yelling for you to release her."

"No! It wasn't like that. I was trying to get out! She's a dwarf and I didn't want to be inappropriate."

Thorin froze at the information, as well as the rest of those who had heard Kili's words. Then coming to a conclusion, he grabbed his collar and growled at Kili's terrified face. "You lie!"

Lori had finally disentangled herself from her covers and what was left of the tent and threw herself between Kili and Thorin. "No my Lord!" She begged. "He's telling the truth. Don't hurt him."

Her heart was thrumming and she was breathless as if she had just run a mile, but she kept his furious gaze trained on her, away from Kili. Slowly she tried to gently take his hand off Kili and placed herself between the dwarfs. "Please, Thorin. He never touched me. We were talking and he got startled, that's all…"

"You mean to tell me that his claim to you being a dwarf is true?" He glared at her incredulously.

"In part…" She tried to look nonchalant as she shrugged. "Please, will you let him go?"

Thorin stood back abruptly and grabbed Lori's arm before he rushed out of the camp. When they were out of earshot he let her go and whirled to face her.

"What is the meaning of this?" He crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly.

"Sorry?"

"I should think so, but what just happened?"

"Excuse me?" Lori started with a certain amount of indignity.

"I will not. Now tell me why I almost just hurt my own nephew in your defense."

She stared at him in outrage. "Because you are hot tempered, overly protective and don't think before you act!"

"You were in danger! Or so it seemed…"

"From what? Being on the receiving end of one of Kili's bad jokes? Dear, sweet Kili who ran to my aid when I was in trouble? You don't honestly believe that he would hurt me?"

"I thought…" Lori crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "No… I don't think he would hurt you."

"Good." She relaxed a bit. "Now, I asked him to sit down inside because I wanted to tell him about my magic, initially. He took it very nicely so I wondered if it had something to do with magic being common in dwarves, and he said it occurred, but why was I asking? I explained that my mother was a half-dwarf and he sort of panicked and tried to rip down the tent to get away from me. And then you intervened."

"Your mother?"

"Yes. By half." She stated again.

"Would I know her?" He queried, intrigued at this new information.

"Doubtful. Her kin hailed from Nogrod in Ered Luin, but left before your people made it there. My Grandmother was a Firebeard until she married my grandfather."

"What happened then?"

"They were cast out. My grandfather was human and they were no longer welcome in the secret society of dwarves." She spat with poorly held bitterness.

"Did he learn much from your grandmother?" He was wary of her answer because not many outsiders were ever included in the dwarven society or learned of their customs and language.

"He knew her name. Her real name, but that was all she taught him before the elders deemed her to not be a Firebeard anymore. She remained loyal to her clan though, and never revealed anything else to him, nor did she teach my mother her own native tongue. I guess she fully accepted their verdict of casting her out." Lori felt a deep sadness rise in her at the thought of the clan she might have had if not for the wills of her elders.

"Do you wish it had not been so?" Thorin had a soft look in his eyes.

"No!" Lori hardened instantly. "What do I care for stubborn dwarves who won't have me or my family? I'm better off without them and their disdain!"

"There are none here that hold ill will against you," he reminded her.

"There are also none who accept me."

"I have." Thorin calmly stated.

"I… But you don't know me."

"Then teach me." He took her by the shoulders and looked closely at her. "I am of Durin's line, not the Firebeards. I will not banish you for who your grandfather was. But you need to trust me if we are to be friends, and you must not withhold such details if I am to know and trust you in return."

Lori was caught in the gentleness of his voice and the sincerity of his eyes so she did what she could to give a nod.

"That makes sense…" She was a little out of breath and her mouth felt dry. "I'll try."

"Good…" He looked at her lips and swallowed. "Now please excuse me, I have apologies to make."

"Right…"

She watched him as he walked back into the camp. His fingers were stretching and bending slightly and his head hung in thought.

..o00O00o..

Steadily during the day, the hills became steeper and the ground became harder. Rocks and cliffs protruded the grass and became the front runners to the mountains. Forests became tighter and denser and the ride increasingly taxing on the ponies, especially in the wet and muddy weather. The rain had started shortly after their departure and steadily grown into a thick downpour, making every beast, man and woman thoroughly chilled and miserable.

Lori focused intensely on the path in front of Hopscotch to avoid injury by an ill placed step or a slippery patch. Sometimes she got off and took him by the reins when the road was too rocky or steep to safely travel with her in the saddle. She hardly noticed the oppressing silence that ran through the company or the careful glances that were cast in her direction.

Some were curious and examining, others wary and suspicious, but most were sympathetic and friendly. Once or twice she caught Thorin looking at her and when she gave him a small insecure smile, he nodded lightly and returned to his thoughts. It seemed he had meant it when he claimed to have accepted her presence, even though letting the cat out of the bag on her lineage had taken some of them by such surprise, that they now were nervous to trust her again. She frowned at that thought considering that they only knew half of it and that it was the easy part. They still didn't know of her father.

The only one who seemed oblivious to the tension was Bilbo, who now travelled next to her behind Gandalf. When Dori was chastised for wanting the wizard to stop the rain, something Lori had tried to get him to do in vain as well before, Bilbo jumped into the conversation.

"Are there any?" He asked.

"What?"

"Other wizards?" Bilbo squinted through the rain.

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two blues… Do you know I've quite forgotten their names?"

Bilbo nodded, "and who is the fifth?"

"Well that would be Radagast, the brown." Gandalf said with a fond smile.

"Is he a great wizard or is he… More like you?" The miserable hobbit wondered.

Lori broke out into loud and honest laughter at the insult, much to the dismay of Gandalf and the surprising pleasure of the dwarves. The sound seemed to lift their spirits and warm their chilled bodies like a streak of sunlight. At the sour glance from the wizard, she tamed herself and mumbled "sorry," whilst still trying to suppress her mirth.

"I think he is a very great wizard… In his own way…" Gandalf tried to ignore Lori. "He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the east. And a good thing too, for always evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

Bilbo fell silent after this and Lori turned her attention towards practicing water magic. What better chance would she have than when covered in the element to the skin? She closed her eyes and reached inside for the energy in her mind and when she thought she'd found it, she tried to make it push the wetness away from her skin. It was a delicate process as she had to be careful not to include the water inside her own body or she would surely be injured or worse, should the magic run wild on her.

Slowly, she felt the clammy wetness leave her skin and had the thought to include the soul as a repellant in the spell. That way it would not affect anyone with a soul and could dry off men and horses, should it work. She meditated for over an hour, trying to swirl the energy to her will, reluctant as it was, and to meld it to understand what its purpose was to be.

Finally in the afternoon when the rain started to hint at letting up, Lori felt sure that she had a steady handle on the spell and she pulled back Hopscotch to place herself in the middle of the company, incidentally next to Dori and Ori.

They looked at her quizzically, but she just closed her eyes and reached for her reserves. Nobody was prepared for the enormous blast of energy that emerged from her and blew a wave of water from horses and men, instantly drying them but leaving all else untouched.

Lori opened her eyes and looked around on the petrified dwarves triumphantly. "Better Dori?" She asked with a cheeky grin.

The elderly dwarf just gaped at her in utter shock.

"How did you do that?" Ori's awed voice said. "I'm all dry!"

"All of us are." Said Thorin at the front of the company. He had an astounded smile on his face as he looked at himself and his men.

Gandalf chuckled and held out his arms to examine his robe. "Well done, Lori! I hope you left some water for the trees, though?" He winked at her falling smile. "That must have taken a lot of effort?"

Her smile returned, just as she felt the acute energy drain from her body and her vision narrowed to tunnel Gandalf's worried eyes before it went completely black.

..o00O00o..

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	8. Chapter 8

Lori was floating in a black sea of absolute numbness and comfort. No time, no light, no sound or pain. Funny, she always imagined there would be a light. She wondered for a brief moment if she would see her mother soon. There were so many things she wanted to tell her; How Gandalf had discovered her and helped her develop her magic. How she had gained friends in Kili and Fili, the ever fun-loving fellows who were deeply loyal and fought like devils to protect her. All of her doubts about how she would fit into the merry band of dwarves, and how she secretly desired to do so more than anything.

She would tell her about Thorin. The stubborn, cantankerous, grumpy, over-protective, chivalrous, magnificent and brooding dwarf king. How he frustrated her to no end in one second only to pull her in and make her knees turn to jelly the next. How he made her want to tell him everything all at the same time as making her terrified of what he might think of her if she did. She had even started to doubt if she really only was the tough-as-nails, I-can-take-care-of-myself, do-it-as-well-as-any-man kind of girl, or if perhaps there was more to her? Her short journey with Thorin had started to reveal that maybe she had potential for great things, even belonging, companionship or love?

But she would never know.

Her heart filled with a great sadness, so all-consuming that if she'd still been in her body, she would have wept bitter tears. It grew in her until it threatened to take over her very being and shatter her completely. For a good while - she didn't know how long - she wallowed further and further into despair.

The deepness of her sorrow scared her and caused her to fight back in anger. No. This would not do. She would not just forfeit her life and forego the chance to find out what her true potential could be. What was it that Gandalf had said? He had wanted her to find her destiny and her place in the world, whatever it may be. She would be forever damned if she gave up on that without a fight.

But how to fight?

She had no body, no senses and no weapons. She was in a world entirely of her own, and there was nothing else there.

Wait. Was that a whisper?

Yes, yes it was! There was a whisper in her mind, as if she wasn't alone. It gradually became clearer and Lori tried with all her might to call out to it, to let whoever was whispering know that she was there. Not having a voice made the attempt a very ill-fated one, though.

Perhaps in this world energy was the only law that applied. She reached for her magic like she had done before, but the whisper became loud and ominous, with only one word penetrating her mind. _Don't!_

That sounded oddly like… Gandalf! He was there! But… How?

Slowly more and more whispers came, but the prominent Gandalf-one kept drawing her nearer. The whispers became voices, voices she knew from somewhere… Was that Fili? Why was he shouting? And the rest of them as well. Really, there was no need to shout, she was not hurt here.

One particularly loud roar seemed to agree with her, because it silenced all the others and left the whisper in her mind to its work of pulling her up towards an imaginary surface.

Sensation came like a shockwave and she gasped loudly as pain exploded behind her eyes. She convulsed as she coughed and hacked, trying to control the blinding headache she had. At least she'd found her body, screaming nerve endings and all. Great.

Lori rolled over on her side and curled up in a ball with her arms around her pounding head. Tears flooded her eyes freely and she didn't have it in her to stop the sob that escaped from her. "Make it stop. Please!" She begged.

"Help her sit," Gandalf instructed.

Strong arms scooped under her torso and legs and gently lifted her from the muddy ground. She was pressed firmly into a shoulder clad in the softest fur and moved around with fluent grace until she sat in a lap with her head buried in warmth. A musky, slightly spicy scent touched her face and she found herself breathing deeper to draw it in. Her eyes were still squeezed shut from the pain and the arms around her held tightly, making her feel secure and aware of her woken body. Her mind would not drift away again while she was held this way.

Another pair of hands touched her temples and wrapped around to the back of her head and finally the pain reduced. Her body relaxed, but the arms anchoring her didn't let go. If anything, they tightened even more as she sagged against the warm furs. As the gentle hands on her temples slid away, she burrowed deeper and brought her hand up to cling to the softness of her 'pillow', only half aware and dizzy. But in stead of finding Thorin's coat, for Thorin it was, her hand touched the side of his neck underneath the dark mane of hair. A deep rumble erupted under her ear and the hand on her back started rubbing a gentle circle.

The skin on Thorin's neck was much hotter than Lori's hand and the surprising sensation woke her to also find it flushed red. She noticed that his pulse beat rapidly under her fingers. A pair of stormy blue eyes were looking at her with tenderness and a touch of receding fear, and he was so close she could count his lashes as she felt a wisp of his warm breath across her lips.

"You're hot," she croaked. "Are you alright?"

His expression contorted to surprise and amusement and landed on a mixture of exasperation and humour. "I'm not the one who was unconscious," he reminded her.

Gandalf interrupted them harshly; "Fool of a girl!" He hissed at her. "You completely depleted your energy, your life force, in that little stunt. And for what? Dry socks and happy dwarves?"

Lori frowned at him from Thorin's embrace. "Is that what happened?"

"You forgot to limit the spell to the company and it ran rampant until you were unconscious. Most of this valley has been dried off and wet by the rain once more! You must never exceed the limitations of your powers, Lori!" He seemed to calm slightly at the remorseful look on her face.

"But why does my head hurt so?" She brought her hand to the now dull throbbing at her forehead.

"You fell off your pony," Thorin rumbled. "And you hit your head on the flat rock, over there." He gestured with his head instead of letting her go.

"Oh…" That made sense.

"Be grateful it wasn't a sharp one, or I doubt even the wizard could have brought you back." The curtness of his words was tempered with the caressing hand on her back.

"He's right, you know," Gandalf reprimanded. "If you use magic carelessly, it is as likely to get you killed as any enemy of this world."

"I thought it was falling off my pony that was likely to get me killed." Lori quipped. Thorin hid a smirk behind her head so the wizard wouldn't see it.

"You are not in much risk of falling off your horse unless you're already unconscious, so don't do it again!"

"I won't," She smiled at him. "I'll make sure to limit any spells from now on."

"Good. Your head is not made of stone, silly girl." He tried in vain to hide a fond smile of his own as he stood up. "Though sometimes I find myself in doubt of the matter… Can you stand?"

"Sure," she said and the arms and legs surrounding her began to shift so she could be let up. As soon as she stood, her head started spinning and nausea wrung her stomach. Thorin's large hands grabbed her upper arms to steady her.

"Breathe slowly." He bent his knees slightly to look her in the eye. "Are you alright?"

"just dizzy… and nauseous." She said embarrassed.

"You have a concussion. But we can't stop for today yet - we've not gone far enough, so you'll ride with me and rest as much as you can."

Lori's eyes widened at the thought of being pressed against Thorin all day and it didn't install confidence in her that she would get much rest. "You may be right. But… I couldn't ride with you."

Thorin frowned slightly and let go of her. "You may choose to ride with one of the others if you feel more comfortable with them, but I don't think it's safe for you to travel on your own pony until you've recovered."

"I don't want to be a bother to you or the company… Gandalf?" She looked pleadingly at him. "May I ride with you?"

The old wizard mulled it over for a few seconds before his eyes flicked to Thorin who was looking rather dejected. "I'm afraid not, my dear. I already burden my horse enough and he needs to last the journey. Take Thorin's offer, he'll look after you well and be the perfect gentleman, I'm sure."

"Oh! No, I know that," She reassured Thorin, having read his mood as being offended. "Really, I meant no offence, Thorin."

The sound of his name on her lips sounded sweet to him, sweeter perhaps, than it should have. "So you'll ride with me then." It wasn't a question, and sounded quite gruff to Lori.

"If it's no trouble. Or I could ask one of the others?" She started.

"It's fine." He cut her off.

"Oh… Alright then." She fiddled with her hands and looked anywhere but at him until his one big hand covered both of hers.

"It's fine, Lori." Her eyes met his and he gave her a small reassuring smile that made her heart pound hard against her ribs. She took a deep breath to get herself under control and put on an air of perkiness for the sake of keeping awkwardness to a minimum.

Thorin mounted up and scooted back in his saddle to make room for her before he reached down a hand. When she grabbed him around the wrist he lifted her without giving her a chance to put her foot in the stirrup and placed her across the saddle in front of him.

"Umm… How should I sit?" Lori looked around to figure out how the most comfortable position could be achieved.

"Any way you like is fine, but sideways is best if you want to rest." The low rumble of his voice seemed to reverberate through his chest that she was now very close to. Her body was tense and the tension only served to make her head throb even harder in pain. Being pressed up against Thorin had her on edge and she didn't know where to put her hands or what to do with herself.

His right arm came around to support her back and grab the reins, and with his left he adjusted her seating and pulled her back to literally sit across his lap, much in the way they had just been sitting on the ground. Her left arm was tucked under his right shoulder and the only way for her to avoid being directly awkward was to rest her head against his chest.

Lori squirmed when something poked her in the hip and reached between them to find out what it was. Her pointy sai was digging into both her hip and Thorin's thick thigh and she was surprised he hadn't said anything.

"Here, let me just move this," The buckle that held the scabbard came undone and she put it on the right side with its twin instead.

Thorin sighed in relief, but at the same time looked a bit apprehensive that there now was nothing separating them. "Thank you." Then he cleared his throat and ordered the company to move out.

After a mile or so of sitting stiffly and trying not to touch her body too much against his, effectively giving herself a migraine, Thorin let go of his reins with the right hand and hugged her waist tightly to him as he whispered so no one else would hear, "Calm yourself, Lori. I'll hold you safely, just try to shut your eyes and rest for a while."

She deliberately forced herself to let go of the tension and soften against his form, only to discover that there was a lulling warmth there that slowly drew her into a soothing slumber. She didn't wake until evening when Thorin ordered to halt and make camp at the ruined farmer's house.

..o00Ô00o..

Lori had settled into her tent at the courtesy of Kili and Fili once more. The brothers didn't take more than a couple of minutes of amazing cooperation and almost artistic juggling before it was up, and her injury prevented her from doing anything but be in the way, so she accepted their help. Temporarily, of course; No need to throw away a hard won battle, after all.

She lay on her bed and took stock of herself. As much of her power and energy as she had used, much of it now seemed returned to her after a long day of rest on Thorin's pony.

Who was she kidding? Thorin's pony didn't really play into the matter as much as the man himself. If not for his strong enduring arms and warm comfort she would have been far worse off by now. It was a strange thing when she thought about it; most of the time he was harsh and stand-offish towards her and then sometimes this gentleness showed itself, turning her into a compliant, soft creature whom she hardly recognized.

Though resting had done her good, she now had a ghastly lump at her temple and the swelling didn't help her throbbing head any. She had the idea to use her magic to heal herself and briefly thought to consult Gandalf on the matter for safety. But it wasn't in her nature to run for conformation every time she needed to do something, and as she had said earlier, she would take the utmost care to limit the spell this time. Besides, Gandalf had stormed off earlier after an exchange of words with Thorin, to what purpose she did not know.

Having progressed in leaps and bounds over the last couple of days concerning fire- and water magic, Lori wasn't overly concerned that healing would be that hard. After all, her healing gifts had occurred spontaneously even when she wasn't aware of her magic, so there wasn't much to stop her from experimenting with it now.

She put her hands gently on her temples and concentrated on finding the energy within her. This time she caught it quickly and harnessed it, guiding the ripples towards her head to speed up the healing process. The whole session took a few seconds, and when she opened her eyes there wasn't even a hint of pain and the lump was gone.

To her surprise, Balin poked his head through the tent flap without warning. "You alright Lassie?" He asked.

"Fine… Why?"

"The whole tent just lit up like a sunrise. Thought it best to check on you." He lifted a white bushy eyebrow at her.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know it did that…" She got up to crawl outside, not wanting to repeat any version of the Kili incident.

"No worries. You never know with wizards so I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He winked and sat back to continue chopping potatoes, onions and carrots for the stew.

"Speaking of wizards… Is Gandalf back yet?" She sat down next to him and took up peeling the potatoes that still needed it.

"I'm afraid not." There was a nervous tension in his posture that alerted Lori to the fact that the dwarves found great safety in Gandalf's presence, and his absence was acutely noticed.

"Don't worry. He'll be back before you need him. I've never seen him miss an event that he was meant to attend, and I doubt the old badger has even left us out of his sight." She comforted the old dwarf.

"Glad to hear it, lassie. Glad to hear it." He smiled at her kindly.

For a little while they sat together in compatible silence and prepared the produce.

"Balin?" Lori broke the stillness between them apprehensively.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of me? Honestly?"

He looked surprised at her query, "Well, I hardly know you. It would be premature of me to judge you just yet."

"Oh, right… No I meant; what do you think of me joining the company?"

"Hmm… Well, at first I thought it was a really bad idea, but you seemed stubborn enough to not let us tell you what to do, so that's worked out somewhat alright." He mused. "Then there was the matter of you being attacked by wolves, but I think you handled that quite well... For a girl."

Lori was about to protest against the jibe when she saw that the elder dwarf was goading her and smirking behind his enormous white beard. She backed down immediately with a sly smile of her own.

"Also, and don't tell him I said so, but I think it was a poor judgment for Thorin to have you riding behind us, parted from our protection, so I blame him for that incident in part. You do tend to get injured quite often, I must say. How's the head?"

"Perfectly fine, thank you. The light you just saw did the trick…" Her voice was a bit tight at having her flaws pointed out to her, but then again, she did ask for his opinion.

"Did it now? I suppose you'll be putting Oin out of his healing business soon?"

"Not lightly," She smiled. "I can't do much yet, and only under very controlled circumstances... But Balin, am I a burden to you, with all of my injuries and differences?"

"Now, why would you ask such a question then?" He stopped what he was doing and looked at her intently. "Has someone said something to make you think that, lass?"

"No, no, nothing like that. But it seems to me that Fili, Kili and especially Thorin have taken on a lot of my burdens since we started out… I just don't want them to resent me for it."

"Well, do you know what I think?" He leaned closer. "I think that this is a tightly knitted company of fellows who take good care of each other. If and when you are accepted into such a company, they also take good care of you. They accept you, lassie, and therefore take care of you when you cannot do it yourself. We all do."

"But I'm not one of the company, am I?" She half asked, half stated.

"No? Let me tell you what Thorin said to me before we went out from Bag End… _'Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart… I can ask no more than that'._ So you tell me if you don't meet the requirements of this journey, because as far as I have seen, you do."

With that he rose and went to give Bombur the ingredients for their supper, leaving Lori to mull over his words.

She was willing to travel all the way to see the dwarves returned to Erebor and their quest to reclaim their homeland fulfilled. Her loyalty lay with them and her intentions were pure, she had no ulterior motives for going. Not even their gold and riches held any appeal to her and she wasn't contracted to a part of it the way Bilbo and the rest of them were.

Her honor, however, suffered under her secrets and her cowardice. It demanded that she tell her leader who she really was and let him make his own judgment of her instead of her keeping certain things from him for fear of how he might react. How they might all react.

The thought of seeing disappointment, mistrust, anger or even disgust in the eyes of her new found friends put a vice around her heart and every time she thought of saying the words out loud it tightened painfully. Fear pushed the words back down her throat, making it feel like she was choking on them.

She had to tell them, though. Thorin had even said directly to her that she needed to be open about herself if they were to include her and trust her the way she wanted.

'Tomorrow,' she thought. 'Tomorrow, I'll tell Thorin about my father.'

..o00Ô00o..

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	9. Chapter 9

Darkness was quickly falling as the sun descended behind the hills of the horizon. The sky made a great spectacle of showing off hues of orange, pink and lavender before dotting the dome with gems of stars and finally calming to a deep ultramarine.

Bilbo sat alone, watching the grandiose display over the valley, and Lori saw him sigh heavily. She walked over to sit by his side and they watched the last colors leave the skies in a slow flash of dying light.

"I wonder what they're doing back home," Bilbo said.

"Good chance is, they're eating supper and gossiping in their hobbit holes, I'd wager." Lori mused.

Bilbo let out a huff of mirth and reached for his pipe. "Probably right. Things never did change much in the Shire…"

She watched him as he lit the tobacco. "Yes, but isn't that part of the charm of it?"

"Yes, yes I suppose it is…" He paused and took a drag of smoke. "You know, when I was younger, I couldn't be bothered with mealtimes, propriety, wealth or chatter about the neighbors. I wanted adventures in far away lands, elves and magic… I wonder what happened to me over the years."

"Nothing happened, Bilbo." Lori smiled. "Look where you are now. Miles and miles from the Shire, with not a single one of you neighbors around. Surrounded by dwarves and wizards on a journey to take back a kingdom from a dragon!"

"And all I can think about is how I miss my soft bed." He gave her a pointed look.

"Oh, don't be too hard on yourself. I dream of soft beds every night as well. And hot baths. Oh, and books, glorious books!" She laughed and patted his arm. "But we will return to those things in due time. Until then, let's make the best of this adventure, what do you say?"

"You're quite right… There's hardly any reason to complain when the dreams of my youth are coming true before my eyes." He looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Please don't tell the others about this."

Her smile was reassuring, "mum's the word, I promise."

"Thanks." His shoulders relaxed and he resumed smoking his pipe weed.

For a little while they sat in comfortable silence, until the smoke started to irritate Lori and she decided to go check on her pony.

Hopscotch saw her coming and ducked his head, resuming his grazing instead of his usual eager greeting.

"Hey boy, there you are…" She approached the animal slowly and studied him carefully. "What's the matter?"

He turned his flank at her and ignored her. It was a puzzle to Lori who only knew him as a happy and friendly companion.

"Look here, I've got a carrot for you." She tempted him, and for a second it caught his interest before he returned to moping.

"What on earth has gotten into you?" Then it hit her. "Oh! You're upset because I rode with someone else today, is that it?" She ran her hand gently over his neck.

"Don't worry, you're still my favorite pony ever, Hopscotch."

His ears twitched in her direction, but he still didn't raise his head to greet her. "It's not your fault I fell off. It was mine. I did something stupid so I fell asleep and toppled to the ground. There was nothing you could've done, boy."

He finally lifted his head and sniffed her head.

"See? I'm fine. No damage here. And I promise to ride with you tomorrow, okay?"

Hopscotch seemed to accept it and took the carrot from her hand to munch on in perfect content.

"Good boy," Lori nuzzled him affectionately and untangled a few clots in his mane for the coziness of it before trudging leisurely back to the camp.

Some of the dwarves were practicing weapons use and were paired off two by two a bit off to the side. Nori spotted her and called a pause from Bifur, whom he had been going head to head with, his staff against Bifur's glaive.

"Oi! Lori! Come over here, girl. Show us what those toasting irons you carry around are good for." He grinned and there was a good deal of snickering and a few huffs in the group.

Her eyes went wide when she saw Dwalin, Gloin, Bofur and Dori watching her. There was no way she would do well against seasoned warriors with heavy weapons at her present level of training. And with the scowls some of the dwarves were giving her, it was almost certain she wouldn't be given an inch of mercy under their tutelage.

"Err… I'm not sure about this, Nori," she said. "I have no training, I confess. And I wouldn't want to hurt you by way of my clumsiness."

"Head still hurting, lass?" Bofur asked in a show of kindness and concern.

"Oh, no. That's all gone now."

"Shoulder?"

"It's fine…" She looked at him suspiciously, thinking that there was a reason for his line of questions.

"Then come on, Olara-Hâzkal. Show us what you've got!" He grinned widely at her and she froze in realization that he'd found her the owed nickname, made it in khuzdûl, and now everyone but her knew what it meant.

"If I don't get knocked out, will you tell me what that means?" She tried.

"No. But I will if you win a match." Bofur's grin was so merry it almost invited a smacking.

Dwalin huffed in contempt. "Not bloody likely…"

Bofur just winked at her and gestured her to come closer.

"I… I can't fight like you do. I have no training, like I said, and my weapons are very light."

"Nonsense. You took on a whole pack of wolves and you're still here. But no matter. Nori here fights with daggers as well as a… What do you call that thing, Nori? Staff or mace? Stace-y?"

The others chuckled at the joke, but Lori was too nervous to find anything funny by that point.

"Right you are," Nori said. "Daggers it is." And from some hidden place on his body he produced two angled, fierce looking daggers and took a battle stance in front of Lori.

"Umm, shouldn't we establish some rules first?" She looked at each of them, almost pleadingly.

"No lethal blows, if we can help it," Nori said with a wink, not reassuring her in the slightest.

Lori started to take her long woolen cloak off, but Nori stopped her. "No. If you travel with it, you fight with it. Keep it on. You won't have time to change clothes when the enemy attacks."

Not being able to argue with his logic, she acquiesced, took out her sai and found her stance to get ready for combat.

Nori started circling her, looking for an angle to attack and waited for her concentration to falter. She mirrored his steps and tried to stay aware of her surroundings so she wouldn't lose her footing or get caught against a stone, but she was very wary of her opponent's skill and experience.

"So, do I get pointers, or is this a beating-the-new-guy thing?" She asked smartly, keeping her eyes on Nori.

"Keep your weight low." Bofur offered. She did. Just as Nori saw her slight distraction, he came at her in a flurry of slashes and stabs that for a whole two seconds took all her speed and concentration to block. Then he slapped her hard across the ribs with the flat side of the blade and Dwalin announced that first blood went to Nori.

Lori grunted at the impact and hugged her ribs. "Protect your body," Bofur said.

"Thanks." She managed through clenched teeth. A few seconds later she stood straighter and took a deep breath, getting back into position and anticipating Nori's next move. This time she held him off for three seconds before he spun to the ground and kicked her legs from under her. He immediately pounced and had a dagger at her throat and Lori could only let out an unfeminine choking sound at having her air removed from her lungs at impact and a dwarf perched on her chest.

"First point, Nori." Dwalin grunted dispassionately.

"You need to move faster and lighter than that, lass." Bofur added.

Again, all she said was thanks as Nori stepped off and gave her a hand up. "Again. Try to anticipate my attacks."

She took the stance without a word, earning an approving eyebrow lift from Dwalin who stood with both hands resting on the head of his maul.

This time she saw when Nori started his assault, and in stead of just blocking every swipe of his blade with her own, she ducked and swayed out of the way as well, utilizing her speed and agility. When he dropped to the ground to take her legs again, she jumped and kicked him, making him lose his balance enough to take a step back.

"There you go, Lori!" Bofur cheered.

Nori gave her a wink and then came at her again. After a few blows he clocked her across the jaw with the hilt of a dagger. Lori saw stars and staggered slightly.

"Watch out!"Her friend on the sidelines only gave her enough warning to hop to the side and kick a shin straight into Nori's guts as he came charging forward to topple her. Apparently it was enough, because he hadn't anticipated it and got the wind punched out of him. This didn't stop him though, and Lori found herself being pulled back by the hair and the cold bite of a dagger at her neck.

"Second point to Nori as well." Was the straight-forward announcement from Dwalin.

"Don't turn your back on an opponent unless his head is cut off." Nori panted by her ear. Considering their position, the thought of beheading was far from comforting and the fact that his voice shook with adrenaline was unnerving.

"Got it." She said, relieved when she was pushed from the dwarf's hold.

"Now try to attack. Defense alone never won a battle."

"Right." Lori tried to find a weakness in Nori's defenses or an opening for an attack, but none presented themselves easily. He shifted his grip to hold the blade by the ulnar side of his fist, putting his elbow too far out. His unprotected elbow.

Lori spun on the spot to feint and backhanded her long middle blade on his elbow's neuropath, giving him an elbow shock and weakening his grip. With her forehand she dashed the blade from his hand from above, but by then Nori had his second blade against her back, earning him the third point.

"Damn." Was all she said when she felt the steel again.

"Nice try, though," Nori admitted. "Creative. But always remember to protect yourself, even when attacking."

"Thank you, I'll try." She shook his hand just as Bombur called across the camp that supper was ready, effectively starting an avalanche of hungry dwarves towards the makeshift kitchen. She followed Nori and Bofur. The last dwarf to leave the training site was Dwalin, who still scowled suspiciously at her back for some reason.

The queue for supper was anything but a straight line of polite people waiting for their turn. Everybody was elbowing, pushing, pranking and joking to get to the front. Ori even went so far as to tie Bifur's feet with twine so when he tried to move he tripped and almost caused a domino effect on them all.

When Lori saw this, she sidled up to Ori, stood at his side with a sneaky smile and hip-bumped him so hard, he stumbled sideways out of line, leaving a gap for her to claim quickly. Ori looked so flabbergasted, she didn't know if he was going to pummel her or yell at her.

"Oi! Did you all see that? She cheated! Took my place right from under me, she did!"

All the others turned and most chuckled at him in schadenfreude, only happy that someone had gotten one back at him. "I didn't see a thing," Gloin claimed. "You, Oin?"

The hearing impaired elder turned and looked at him questioningly. "Huh? Oh! No. Not a thing, Gloin."

"Fine pair of dwarves you lot are. All it takes is a pretty face and you're abandoning me! Fine lot indeed!" He scolded. Ori continued to wrestle with Lori in good fun to get his spot back, until they reached the pot and were handed bowls of food from Bombur simultaneously.

"Behave," the fat dwarf said. "This is all you get, if you spill it, you go hungry."

They called a truce and parted to find seats. Lori saw Thorin sit on a rock and walked over to join him.

"Thorin, may I have a word?"

He nodded and gestured for her to sit.

She sat down on the ground and fidgeted to get herself situated with her cape, bowl of stew and weapons. She heard a few of the others laughing raucously a little way off, luckily out of hearing range. Perhaps this was a bad time to tell him. After all, she had promised herself to do it in the morning, but then again, morning conversations with Thorin had a bad record so far, so perhaps the evening meal was the best time? He looked occupied, though. And was terribly short with her. But he had invited her to sit, so she had to say _something_.

"You're getting along well..." He nodded towards the group and then looked at her.

"Yes... As well as I can. I don't think they all necessarily like me, but they're friendly enough."

"Good." He took another spoonful of his stew and savored it before continuing. "Balin told me you'd healed yourself."

"I did. My head and shoulder are as good as new." She smiled proudly but tried to hide it by ducking her head.

"Good. Don't heal your bruises, though." He gestured to her purple and blueish jaw.

She frowned in confusion. "You want me to be in pain?"

"I want you to learn."

"Oh... I see." She nodded in understanding. If her body remembered the consequences of her mistakes it was less likely that she would make them again.

"you wanted to speak with me?" Thorin prodded.

Her pulse rose and a tight knot formed in her stomach. This would not be an easy chat. "Well, it's in concern to what we talked about before… About not keeping things from you if I want you to trust me." Her eyes were pleading with him to understand, but he kept his attention to his food as he listened.

"So?"

"You remember how I told you that my mother was half dwarf and half human?..."

"Yes."

"There's more… My grandparents lived in Gládden Fields between Greenwood and Lórien after they were banished… it's close to the River Andúin, if you might know it?"

"Aye, I do."

"Of course… Well, one day a traveler came to the house in need of trade and shelter for the night. He was on a journey from Greenwood to Lórien, see. And my mother caught his eye. He was my f…"

"_Thorin!"_ Fili came crashing out of the woods at a break-neck speed. "Trolls!"

Immediately Thorin was on his feet and ran towards his nephew, scanning the woods behind him. "Where's Kili?"

"He's looking out for Bilbo. Come quick!"

"The hobbit?" His irritation grew at the mention of their gentile travel companion.

"Yes, we sent him to free the ponies from the trolls, but I'm afraid he might need help."

"You did _WHAT?"_

"Umm…" Fili stopped to consider his words, an action he might have had better use of a few seconds earlier.

"Everyone! To arms!" Thorin ordered, making every dwarf forget his supper and jump to action. Lori scrambled to her feet.

"You stay!" He pointed at her.

"What? No! Bilbo's my friend!" Lori looked at him, horrified at the thought of staying behind, idle and useless in an empty camp while the rest of them were in danger. What if they needed her help? What if one or more of them were hurt?

"That's an order, woman! You stay away or I _will_ remove you from my sight!" He all but bellowed at her while pointing a hard finger at her to keep her back.

His words cut her like a sword and she stood paralyzed while the dwarves rushed out of the camp in a matter of seconds. She caught a few sympathetic glances, but they were too much in a hurry to care for her hurt feelings and pride. The knot in her stomach turned to hurt, a hurt that she didn't quite understand the ferocity of.

The camp quickly fell silent as Lori stood and stared at where the merry band of dwarves had disappeared into the forest moments before. A tear fell from her eye before she angrily wiped it away, coming to her senses and pushed the hurt down. Practical thinking, not self-pity, was of better use now.

'Gandalf. We need Gandalf,' she thought. Panicked she looked around to see if he had reappeared by some fortuitous turn of events, but alas. 'I have to find him!' She took off as fast as she could into the night.

At first she tried tracking him, but the deep darkness of night soon hid all of his trails, so she tried running in a sweeping pattern roughly in the direction he had gone, intermittently calling out for him.

It was a risky business when you didn't know what else lurked in the shadows and she was well aware of it. But it was riskier to not help the company and she knew no stronger help than Gandalf.

She ran over steep hills and through thorny shrubs that tore at her clothes and skin. Through trees that blocked out what little light there was in the night. for hours she tried to keep up her tempo, but her stamina ran out after a while. She crossed several streams and a larger river that almost swept her feet from under her with icy, rushing currents. It left her freezing to the bone to be wet to her chest in the molten mountain snow. She ran until her legs shook in pain with every step, and still, she saw neither hair or hide of the old man.

"Come on, for pity's sake!" She muttered when her foot got stuck in a rabbit hole and she twisted her ankle with a sharp jolt. "GANDALF!"

"Lori?" She finally heard from somewhere off to her side. "What on earth are you doing, child? Keep your voice down, you know better than that."

"Thank Eru! _Where_ have you been?" Oddly she sounded like her scolding mother for a split second, and it made a pang of sorrow blossom in her. How she missed the old bat.

"Excuse me?" Gandalf said.

"Bilbo, Fili and Kili found trolls who'd taken the ponies and now everyone has gone to save Bilbo, but I fear they will need your help before the night is done. Please, come quickly!" She panted.

"Trolls, you say?"

"Oh, for the love of Aulë, will you just come on! I don't know how long it will take to get back, and there may not be anything left of our company but bones if we don't hurry!"

"Fine, fine. This way then." He spun around and rushed off in the opposite direction of where Lori's direction sense told her she had come from.

"Gandalf! It's the wrong way, stop!"

"For once, don't question me, girl." He pulled her along and resumed a running pace. "I heard you crashing through the brush a few hours ago, but I thought you were a wild boar. Only now that I heard you again I knew it was you. You have been going in circles and it was your luck I found you." His haste did nothing to dampen his stream of speech, much to Lori's annoyance. She, herself, was completely out of breath from the harsh terrain and midnight cross-country marathon she had been undertaking the past couple of hours.

"Fine. Go. Hurry on without me, I am spent." She gasped. She would find her own way back when the sun came up if the wizard outran her. And he did.

By the time the sun's first rays peeked over the horizon, he was long since out of her eyesight, and she heard him yell in the far distance.

"_The dawn take you all!"_

Lori's legs collapsed in relief. Gandalf must have reached the dwarves. He had to have. He wouldn't have fought if there was no hope left.

Sweat poured down her face and trickled underneath her soaked clothes. Exhaustion caught up with her as she sat on her knees in the mossy underbrush of the forest, and she thought for a minute that she might stay like that forever. _'Just a couple of minutes to catch my breath. Then I'll go to the camp.'_

…

She woke up a few hours later when the sun baked her swollen cheek and her foot was numb but for the sting of pins and needles.

"damn!" Her body rushed to vertical and her head spun from the sudden change in altitude. It was well past the time to get back, and now she didn't know if there still was a camp to get back to. She hoped beyond hope that the angry leader she had argued with the night before hadn't decided to leave her behind, arguments, dilemmas and all of her troubles.

But surely Gandalf would have come to get her if that be the case, right? Unless he had been obliged to follow orders as well… She began a slow and painful trot on sore, pricking legs and her throbbing ankle.

"Please still be there…" She muttered.

Ten minutes later she humped into camp, relieved to see the dwarves cooking breakfast and getting ready for the day. She caught an unwelcome sight of a bare white behind over dwarfish boots by the river, and felt the need to announce her presence by clearing her throat. Loudly. The butt disappeared under freezing water and she heard a comical squeal from the owner.

Everybody's attention sprang to her and her eyes found Thorin's. His intense glare quickly faded to resemble relief when he saw her – a change that Lori wondered at briefly before being swarmed by friendly questions.

"Where've you been?"

"Did you see the trolls, Lori?"

"Have you been away all night?"

"Oh my, you look a fright!"

"Have you eaten?"

"You look thirsty. Here, have some water."

"It's good to have you back, lass."

"Kharan bea, gyyr Olara-Hâzkal."

"Uhm… Hi everyone. Glad to find you still here." She offered them a tired smile and found her plate in her pack. She was starving. When she turned around they were still looking at her curiously, but their questions had stilled at the presence of Thorin. She stood to face him, suddenly nervous that he might still be angry.

"I thought I told you to stay in camp?" He rumbled in a low tone. There was no malice in it though, merely question. It was a treacherous question, however, given their previous conflicts of her not following his lead.

"No, not technically…" Lori started.

"Oh?" His head tilted and kept his steely blue eyes directly on her purple ones. They shone with something she couldn't identify.

She cleared her throat nervously. "You told me to _'Stay away or I _will _remove you from my sight!'_. Those were your words." Her hands seemed to have a life of their own as they fidgeted and picked at her cuticle. "I was far away, I promise you."

He held her gaze for a long time in a battle of wills without saying anything, and Lori was determined to not back down this time. It might cost her dearly, in fact she was almost certain he would tell her to leave.

In the end, Thorin relaxed his stance and gave her a small nod.

"Gandalf told me you'd come for him. You have my thanks. Get some rest, we leave at noon."

A great sigh of relief and joy escaped her tired and aching body and she watched his back as he retreated.

She was still in the company.

..o00Ô00o..

**Every single review, favoriting, view count and pm has kept me going a little further this time. Thank you!**

**A shout out to the ever watchful beta is also very much in its rightful place here. Thanks Karen!**

**As for reika88, **_**constructive **_**criticism is welcome, not hurtful, de-motivating and demeaning flames. And please do sign in or pm me if you have actual questions or points in the story you want to discuss. Thank you for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

It was nearly midday and the summer sun shone without mercy on Lori's little tent, reinventing it into a hothouse with her sleeping in a steady sweat inside. If not for her exhaustion she would have tossed and turned from the heat, but instead she got steadily more and more dehydrated in her semi-unconscious state.

When someone gently shook her foot, she woke up groggy with a pounding headache and all of her movements were sluggish due to both fatigue, muscle aches, bruises and dehydration. She stumbled out of her tent in a daze and Fili handed her a water skin with a worried look on his face. She quickly gulped down half a liter of water and sat down to collect herself for a moment.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

"I will be. Just give me a minute." The world swam before her eyes and there was a creeping blackness in the periphery of her vision. "I'm a little hot." She breathed deeply trying to regain her equilibrium.

Kili, having overheard her while he was watering the horses behind her, quickly decided to help the poor girl by unloading the contents of his bucket over her head. The water contrasted violently with the overheated temperature of Lori's skin because the cold mountain river came from the melting snow on the Ettinmoors, making her jump up rigidly. After a second or two, she gasped deeply for air before letting out a loud guttural scream.

Kili, who had been standing behind her with a big grin on his face, thought better of his games when Lori's murderous stare turned on him. Even under wet sloppy braids that clung un-fetching to her face, she looked positively terrifying, with boiling cheeks and purple fire in her eyes.

He stumbled backwards and threw down the bucket before he bolted at full speed for the woods. "Now now, Lori! It was only a joke!" He called over his shoulder.

"_KILI! Get back here, you coward!"_ She shrieked and tore after him.

Kili, for all of his silliness, was wise enough not to obey her and didn't slow down until the river bend cut him off. By the time he reached the edge where a small, steep incline led to the waist deep water, he was out of escape routes. He turned with his hands raised in an appeasing manner, only to be tackled by a flying bundle of soggy Lori.

They landed in the frigid water in a tremendous splash, and they forgot their feud instantly as the chill hugged every part of their skin in a rush of cold. Gasping and panting they reached the surface and clung to each other's arms to stand steady in the strong current. When they finally found their feet, their eyes met and mirth spread on both their faces, quickly erupting into a loud laughter.

"Truce?" Kili offered when the last chuckles faded.

"Truce… For now." She consented through now chattering teeth. "But never peace! I will get you back eventually."

"Oh, goes without saying!" He grinned. "Let's get out of this freezing water."

"Gladly!" She stumbled to the edge and grabbed the roots that protruded the earth to pull herself and Kili in. He gave her a leg up to the grassy shore, and Lori in turn pulled him out of the river. She was wringing the water from her long hair when Kili looked at her, blanched and instantly turned his back on her.

"Uh, Lori? You'd better dry off or cover up before we return…"

"What do you mean?" She looked at the back of his head from under her messy braids that were all but undone by now.

"Your, uhm… Shirt," He gestured awkwardly at her with his back still turned. "It's wet. And you can see straight through it… I mean… Uhm…"

"Oh!" She grabbed the white fabric and held it away from her skin, attempting to wring the water from it.

"Yeah… Wouldn't want Thorin to see you like that." He mused.

"Thorin? Well no. But I wouldn't want any of you other guys to see me like that either."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind…" He shrugged nonchalant and almost dismissive.

"_Kili!"_ She gaped at him, aghast at his audacity.

His back stiffened and he fiddled uncomfortably, trying to find a hole in the ground he could sink into. "No! No no no no, that wasn't what I meant, I promise!"

"Well, what did you mean then?" She glared sourly at the back of his head.

"I only meant that you are in no danger from the rest of us. Err… I mean… Not that you're in any _danger_ from uncle. Not in that way, anyway…"

Her brows furrowed deeper and she tried to gather any meaning from the young dwarf's rantings. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all… Let's just get you dry and back so we can start searching for the cave."

"What cave?" She asked, even more puzzled.

"Oh, that's right. You don't know…" He glanced over his shoulder at her, satisfied that she was no longer indecent. "The trolls might have a cave nearby, and we're going to go look for it."

"Why would we do that?" She had a sneaking suspicion that she knew where this was going.

"Trolls are well-known for hoarding treasure and stolen goods in their caves. We might find something we can use." He turned and offered her his vest for modesty so she didn't need to cover herself with her arms.

"Ah… Treasure. You mean to say that you dwarves have an affinity for treasure?" Her eyes were large and innocent, and Kili fell for her act without hesitance.

"We dwarves can make such wonders of precious stones and metals as you have never seen! We are the greatest craftsmen of all things that dwell in the earth and…" Finally he saw the mirth in her eyes. "You're making fun of me?" His eyes squinted in suspicion, but his lips still smiled.

"Oh no, master dwarf. I would never!" She tried to hold her face, but failed. "But you forget that I have dwarven ancestry myself, not to mention that I've read loads of books, even ones on our secretive race." She smiled as they walked side by side through the woods.

"Right…" He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I suppose you know of our great obsessive love of gold as well?"

Her humor fell away. "I do. I've read the stories of Thror, and the dragon sickness that took him." Her head hung in reverent memory. "It was a tragedy."

"It was a disgrace, you mean." Kili's words turned uncharacteristically hard. "If not for his greed, the dragon Smaug would never have come. We would still have our home." He turned sad, which was a most unnatural thing to behold for Lori, who only knew him as a dwarf of merrymaking and action.

"I am sorry, Kili," Lori put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "However, I don't believe he did it out of malice or lack of love for your people, but I understand your grief nonetheless. His sickness cost you so much."

"If he loved his people so, why didn't his love stop his greed?" Kili's young voice pleaded as he spoke of a doubt he had often struggled with. "I've never understood that."

"I don't know, my friend. But let's undo the hurt he put on your people all those many years ago, and maybe someday you'll find it in your heart to forgive your great-grandfather his wrongdoings, yes?"

Kili sighed and nodded. "Aye, perhaps that is for the best."

"Come, I need to change into dry clothes before we leave." She offered him another smile as they picked up the pace back to camp.

..oo0Ô00o..

Thorin had to admit that he was intrigued. Three large trolls could have gathered immense amounts of treasure over the years, and now it was theirs for the taking. He was on alert, just in case the three monsters had not been alone, even though it was unusual for them to even travel in packs as large as three.

The first thing that alerted him to the fact that this was indeed the right cave, was the putrid stench of decay and excrement that hit his nostrils in a thick mist of rot. Never in his life had he smelled anything so foul, and travelling with a bunch of male dwarves, that was saying a lot. Inside was a macabre collection of body parts in varying states of decay, a decoration of human hands on spikes, where he to his deep horror saw that two of them were child-sized. There were collections of skulls from both human, sheep, a few dwarves and orcs littered around the floor, evenly spread through the piles of trash, riches, gold, armor, weaponry, silks and troll shit.

Here and there were meat hooks adorning the cave ceiling, and on them were different limbs of flesh from both beasts and men. Trolls apparently didn't seem to discern if their meal consisted of animals or talking beings, and these particular trolls had been passionate about their culinary arts. He even saw dried sage and coriander hanging in dried bundles for seasoning amidst the macabre displays. Thorin gagged and covered his face with his sleeve.

He, Gandalf, Gloin, Bofur and Nori started to tentatively look through barrels and boxes, hoping to find something useful or valuable, at the same time as dreading to discover something morbid and horrifying.

A small exquisite jewelry box covered in webs and dust stood next to a couple of rolls of old carpets. Thorin crouched down to look closer at it whilst Gloin called for Nori to fetch a shovel. It was a hand-carved wooden box depicting chains of small delicate flowers on the sides, and a dancing couple on the top. He opened it and found that it contained cracked bracelets and broken necklaces, scratched rings and a few hair clasps, that some amateur had tried to adorn with engravings even though he obviously hadn't had the tools nor the talent for the job. In short, the fine box was full of scrap.

One hair clasp stood out from the rest, though. It was solid and untouched, the hinges small and almost invisible, and the surface shone brighter than any silver Thorin had ever seen.

It was clear to him that whoever had made this band had nothing to do with the craftsmanship of the rest of the box's contents. This was clearly dwarfish artwork, but it was painfully unfinished, like a great love song that no one had ever heard. Perhaps the craftsman had died before he could finish his work. Perhaps he had been forced to sell it prematurely to feed his family. Such a story would not have been unlikely among his own people as they scrambled across Middle Earth, struggling to stay alive after the dragon had destroyed their homes and the elves abandoned them.

It dawned on him that if that was truly the case, the clasp could very well be mithril, a piece of jewelry worthy of a king or queen once it was properly carved and shaped. He would have to ask some of the others in the company, because his own expertise in smith work lay with crafting tools, weapons and to an extent, armor. He didn't know nearly enough about precious metals to discern the value or the best way to finish this item.

As he slipped it into his pocket, an image of Lori in a fine dwarfish garb, adorned with fur, white gold and deep purple silk popped into his mid unbidden. Her hair would hold at least one perfect braid and the clasp would flash brilliantly on it as she stood by his side. Perhaps he had even been the one to put it there himself after tending diligently and caring to her hair after messing it up in the first place.

A pleasant shiver ran through him and he shook himself out of his reverie. Those kinds of thoughts had come up far too frequently lately. The woman, the _girl_, was never far from his mind since she'd slept in his arms after her fall. But she couldn't be much older than Fili's 82 years, less than half of Thorin's 195, and the thought of his own lustful reaction to her was scandalous to him if he allowed himself to dwell on it.

Then there was the question of her lineage. She wasn't even a full dwarf, which showed clearly in the way she moved, her elegant build and her lack of facial hair. It was a strange thing that he should feel so attracted, as foreign and different as she was, but still his thoughts kept revolving around her. His sight was constantly drawn to where she was and ever did he check her whereabouts and well-being from afar.

Not to mention that if he succeeded in reclaiming the throne of Erebor, his queen would have to be accepted by his clan, and never before had a half-dwarf been included into their society. Actually, the mere fact that her mother's mother had married a human was enough to have her exiled from her family, clan and race. Still, there would be no denying that her beauty would fit any throne, and her strong will would make her a force to be reckoned with in the political landscape.

Oh, but who was he kidding. She could have anyone she wanted, do anything she liked, and she had given no indication that his advances would be welcome. In fact, she seemed much more open with his nephews and the rest of the dwarves than she did with him, the exiled king of a homeless people. The shame and misfortune that Thror had brought upon them was now his, and until he undid the calamity, he would not re-grow his beard or be worthy of anyone's favor.

Thorin sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. These thoughts had plagued him almost since he learned that she was tagging along in Hobbitton, and they had only gotten worse. The likelihood that he could solve this puzzle now, while standing in a stinking troll hoard, was minimal. He would keep the clasp for her and not think on it too much if he could help it. Maybe it would disappear on its own in time, just as it had come, this… Infatuation. Yes, that's all it was. Infatuation.

Surely it would pass in time.

..o00Ô00o..

Lori had stayed outside the reeking cave when Gandalf and some of the dwarves dove into it in search of… Whatever it was they were hoping to find in there. Even if they did find heaps of gold and precious stones, there was no possible way to take it with them, so her understanding of their eagerness was somewhat lacking.

She sat up on a cliff keeping watch while the search went on, occasionally glancing at the opening in the mountain where she'd last seen Thorin. Her gut clenched uncomfortably when she thought about him. Coming back to camp drenched and wearing his youngest nephew's waist coat he had sent her a look that she didn't quite know how to interpret.

At first it had been almost murderous, but then when he looked her over and caught her eyes, it contained a heat that all but set her on fire in turn. They'd stared at each other for all of five seconds before Kili crossed her line of vision and broke the contact, but in that short moment her pulse had risen to a dull roar, her legs felt weak and her stomach did funny flips. Perhaps the cold dip in the river had made her sick.

It was impossible for her to guess his thoughts, and she was nervous that she had done yet another thing to antagonize him, for surely it would be her last. The way he had reacted this morning left some doubt in her mind as to whether he thought that she was a nuisance or a help to the company. Come to think of it, she did almost consistently go against his authority. It wasn't that she didn't respect his leadership or that she didn't want to follow it, goodness no! It was just that she'd never been under a commander before and it was difficult for her to adapt.

The last person she'd had to obey had been her sweet mother, and she'd died when Lori was in her fifties over a hundred years ago. Gandalf was a kind teacher and guide, as well as her ward and protector in those first, grieving years with him, but he never demanded authority over her. With him, everything was her own choice, and she'd gotten so accustomed to this freedom, that fitting into a system of ranks and orders had become hard for her now.

She decided then that she would need a real part to play in the company if she was to fit into it. Everybody had their roles and chores, except for her and Gandalf. It didn't seem to bother the wizard, but it did bother Lori. She wasn't a Maiar like him, and she would like to be a part of a community for once in her life, even if it would take some learning effort on her part. She only hoped that Thorin would give her a chance to prove that she could be an asset to him and not just a tag-along nuisance.

If only he would let her stand watch or some such thing. Her eyes and ears were extremely sharp and would be well utilized for that. But maybe she'd have to prove herself to gain the trust she needed for them to put her in the rotation. She would have to take up watch alongside one of the others then, and seeing as it was Thorin she was trying to prove her value to, he would have to be the one she followed. Hopefully he wouldn't take offence, or they would be in for some very long nights together.

Glad that she had made the decision, she started to relax as she watched the dwarves and Gandalf emerge from the grotto. They were examining the bounty of what seemed to have been a very successful expedition, and she smiled when she saw Gandalf hand Bilbo a large dagger that looked like a short sword in his hobbit-sized hand. It was a beautiful and fitting weapon indeed.

Just then, she heard a distant rustle and crushing of the underbrush and immediately stood and turned her eyes towards the east. It came closer very rapidly, but the forest hid the source from her sight. She tried for a few seconds to discern the noise, and it sounded as if it was a small army of paws coming towards them at breakneck speed.

Panicked she sought out Thorin's eyes that had been glued to her from the moment she jumped up.

"Thorin!" She called for him and he nodded quickly.

"Something's coming!" He yelled, making all of the dwarves flurry in activity to get themselves ready.

"Hurry now," Gandalf shouted. "Stay together. Arm yourselves."

Lori saw an annoyed look on Thorin's face at the orders to his men, and broke into a grin when she caught his eye. With a quick wink, she hurried down from her cliff to join the company in formation. It was nice to see that she wasn't the only one's nerves the old wizard could get on at times.

Everyone was on high alert and could now clearly hear what Lori had picked up on before them. Suddenly, a loud rustle and explosion of leaves spat out twelve large rabbits pulling a sleigh with a shouting madman on it.

"THIEVES! FIRE! MURDER!" The raving lunatic glared around at the company with a sneer, as his baffling, yet somehow comical procession came to a halt.

"Radagast!" Gandalf exclaimed and sheathed his sword with a welcoming smile. "It's Radagast the Brown." He informed them as if he was a long-expected party guest. Slowly the dwarves lowered their arms and relaxed.

As Gandalf proceeded to talk to the odd man to clarify his purpose, the fellow pulled a stick insect out of his mouth in the middle of the conversation, something Lori almost gagged at, she couldn't help but remember his earlier words; That Radagast was a great wizard. In his own way.

Indeed.

But at least danger was gone for now. Once again she looked at Thorin, who seemed to have similar thoughts to hers, judging by the smirk on his face. He saw her and nodded imperceptibly before turning around and distributing guards on the perimeter until the wizards had finished their business.

..o00Ô00o..

**You guys blow me away! For every reader, favorite and alert, thank you! **

**And a special thanks to ****Loki'sdreamer****, ****Inertia18****, ****mrsmiawallace88****, ****Just4Me****, ****Dereklover89****, ****Abyss Prime****, ****Marana****, ****SerWolfsBaneRuneRunner****, ****Caz, ****AcaciaDawn**** and ****NESSAANCALIME6913**** for reviewing. You guys really kept me going this time, so cookies for you.**

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	11. Chapter 11

While the wizards held counsel, Lori bumped shoulders with Bofur, letting him know that she was stepping out for a minute. "Nature calls. I'll be right back."

"Stay close. Who knows when they'll be done." He said, never taking his eyes off the quiet conversation between the two Maiar.

She made her way to a little stream, no more than 20 meters from the company and squatted behind the bushes to do her business and change her bindings from the monthly bleed. She washed them in the shallow stream and bound them on the straps of her backpack so they could dry. Finishing up, she headed back and found Bofur again.

"So… What does Olara-Hâz… What was it again?" She sat next to him and crossed her legs.

"Olara-Hâzkal?" Bofur asked sideways.

"Yes. What does it mean?" She was curious what her new nickname would tell about her. Or in truth, what it would say about what Bofur thought of her.

"Oh no, lass." He chuckled. "We agreed that I'd tell you when you beat Nori in combat. That hasn't happened yet, to my knowledge." He smirked at her, earning a glare.

"You and I both know that'll never happen, Bofur. He's got ages of experience on me, not to mention strength and weapons expertise."

"Then use what _you_ have against him. What do you have that he doesn't, hmm?"

Lori thought for a moment. "What..? I don't know… What do you mean? I don't have anything in combat he doesn't…" Her puzzled expression caused Bofur to chuckle again and smoke on his pipe for a bit.

"Really? You make fire with your mind, expel water with a thought, and the sway of your hips has every available dwarf in the company sneaking peaks at you when you're not looking. Nothing, you say? Huh…"

Stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his last comment, even though her cheeks scorched hotly, she punched him in the shoulder. "You want me to cheat? Use magic to win a fight?"

"Ah, but _there_ is the heart of it, isn't it? It _is_ a fight, and under real circumstances, the wager is most likely your life. There is no cheating, lass. Only survival." He became serious and looked at her with a caring and somewhat fearful stare. "You must take care of your own safety first and foremost, promise me that. No matter the cost."

She smiled and patted his arm. "I promise, my friend. I will do my best to not get killed."

"Good," he took another puff of smoke. "We wouldn't want some folks around here to start missing those lovely curves." His cheeky grin was all but hidden behind his beard and his pipe, but the jibe hit home anyway, and Lori reddened further at the same time as reaching for her magic to throw him off the cliff and down on his arse at Bilbo's feet. She giggled loudly as he jumped up and brushed himself off as if the action had been entirely deliberate.

Bofur glared at her shortly before his features softened and he shrugged. "I guess I asked for that…"

Suddenly, Lori heard guttural snorting and ruffling of the brush from where she had just visited the stream. A loud growl followed by a howl from a throat that was twisted by pain and hate. It sounded somewhat akin to a wolf's, but the tones where off and sent shivers down her spine by the deep sense of wrong that emanated from it.

The thud of paws from heavy animals came swiftly closer as Bilbo and Bofur discussed what animal had made the howl. Lori drew her sai and crouched into a defensive stance as she looked around wildly in the general direction of the stream.

A few meters to her left, a giant twisted dog-like monster reared its head and sniffed in the air. It turned its light-reflecting eyes on her and sneered in pure menace, but snapped back towards Thorin before launching down the cliff to attack him. Further to its left was another beast who followed its alpha's actions to charge the leader of the group._ My blood. They tracked my blood!_ Lori realized and blanched.

The first warg, for wargs they were, was swiftly cut down by Thorin's new blade, but the elvish sword got stuck in the bone. Thorin didn't know it would slice through the sinewy flesh like a hot knife through butter, so he struck with too much force and rendered himself momentarily defenseless.

Lori's panicked and guilty thoughts had her frozen in place until she saw Thorin in immediate danger when the second warg leapt for him. _They are tracking us, trapping us, and going for the king. They are after Thorin. THORIN! _"Look out!" She screamed as the second warg jumped for him.

An arrow from Kili hit the beast in the same moment that a concentrated kinetic force knocked the monstrous beast to the ground. Dwalin leapt on it and crushed the skull with his mattock before it could move again.

Thorin yanked his sword free. "Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not far behind." He scanned the cliffs and lingered for a moment when he found Lori, making sure she was unharmed.

She lowered her eyes and reddened in shame that it was her doing, that had lead the enemy to them. Her blood had led a clear trail right to their whereabouts, and even if she hadn't known they were being followed, she should never have been so careless.

Thorin didn't know her thoughts and frowned in confusion when she looked guilt-ridden. What could she possibly have to feel guilty about? If not for her spell, he would probably have been severely maimed before Kili's arrows and Dwalin's mattock could have ended the beast.

His thoughts were interrupted by Gandalf who demanded to know who he had betrayed their quest to. The thought alone was absurd, but when his denial was challenged once more, a deep, righteous anger flared in him at the accusation. As if he would ever risk the lives of his company, his _nephews_, by gossiping to outsiders. It was against everything he was as a dwarf, and he raised his voice sharply in reply to the grey wizard. "No one, I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?" He demanded.

"You are being hunted." Gandalf finally informed him in a tired voice.

Lori locked eyes with Gandalf for a brief moment, silently asking him if she should come forward and confess of her mistake, but he minutely shook his head at her. Whether he meant that now was not the time, or if she wasn't to blame, she was unsure. There was little doubt in her mind that he knew she had attracted their scent. There was little the wizard didn't know, but it was safe to say that she wasn't the reason they'd been after them in the first place, at least.

A second later, Ori ran over the hill at full speed, and headed straight for Thorin to tell him that the ponies had bolted, and that they now had no means of escape from the orcs that were surely coming.

Lori sat back on her haunches in shock. Hopscotch had abandoned her? He just left? But he had been her pony for so long, her friend in fact, and she'd taken such good care to keep him happy and healthy. What could she have done wrong to make his bond with her so apparently fragile that a bit of danger would cause him to leave her side this easily? Why would he leave? In all her years, she never expected to feel such pain at the abandonment from an animal.

But he was her friend… Wasn't he? Friends weren't supposed to leave each other in time of need. Even if he was a pony, shouldn't he feel more loyalty towards her than that?

Suddenly, in the midst of her confusion the coo-coo raggedy-man of a brown wizard whooshed out of the clearing on his rabbit sleigh, whooping and hollering for whoever might be looking for them to follow him. And judging by the howls and barks that followed him, he was successful in drawing their attention. Listening to the sheer number of foul voices of animals and orcs on the air made shivers run down her spine. The lunatic was done for if they ever caught him.

She sent up a silent prayer that he wouldn't be caught, as they began running and hiding frantically to avoid being detected by the quickly growing pack of warg riders.

Within minutes, the constant shifts between running for their lives to not get detected and holding their breaths in hiding, while Radagast zipped about on the heath with the ever multiplying orc pack on his tail, had every dwarf, hobbit and wizard panting and wild-eyed with desperation and sweating in their armor.

Finally, when they heard him disappear into the distance and they caught a respite for a brief moment, one of the orcs picked up Lori's scent once again and broke away from its party to pursue it. Everyone froze when they heard the beast sniffing and snorting atop of the cliff they were hiding behind, and Lori felt her heart sink at the thought that they might yet again be in mortal peril, because now they knew her smell.

When Thorin gave the silent order for Kili to take the enemy down with his bow, Lori almost intervened. She couldn't possibly let Kili stand alone against a foe that she had been stupid enough to reveal them to, but she also couldn't make noise to voice her protests. She quickly unsheathed two of her largest knives and took a ready stance to defend her friend when he made his move.

Kili was an excellent shot, one of the best she had seen in a long time, but this shot was one he missed catastrophically to the detriment of them all. The warg took it in the shoulder with a great snarl and faltered in its step before starting to tumble down. The nasty creature on its back lifted a horn to his lips, but thankfully Kili's second arrow struck truer and hit the orc in the shoulder, making him drop the instrument.

It was all for naught, though, for the following cacophony of noise was piercing in the still air, and even though Bifur, Dwalin, Thorin and Kili were swift and lethal, there was no doubt that the rest of the pack would have heard the dying beasts' screeches.

Gandalf looked almost panicked as he listened for more enemies, and when he heard them, his order to run was a frightened roar. "Move. Run!"

Once more the flight over the plain was in a dead run, but this time there was no stopping and hiding. Now, they were running with all of their might, knowing full well that if they were caught, their lives would be forfeit. Thorin tried desperately to come up with a solution that wouldn't lead them all to their deaths, as was his responsibility as leader.

Gods, if his company died under his command not even half way to the Lonely Mountain, his forbearers would never let him into their halls in the afterlife. Or worse, if either Fili or Kili were to perish and he had to face his sister, Dis, with the news of their death, he would long wish for death before it would be granted to him.

But there was no high ground they could defend themselves from, and there were no bottle-neck passages that would protect them from the superior numbers and strength of their enemy. Their greatest hope lay in a couple of protruding rocks, that might provide a smidgen of cover, but it was a vain hope at best.

When they came to a halt, Kili and Fili let him know that they were surrounded and that more warg riders were coming. "Kili! Shoot them!" He shouted. It might be the difference between defeat and victory to take out as many as they could before the skirmish started. Kili shot a few orcs with his straight, yellow fledged arrows, and even Ori attempted to aid their cause with his meager sling shot, but to no avail.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin ordered. This was where they would take as many of the fiends with them to their graves as they could.

Lori waited until two of the wargs were close enough to smell, which was not as close as you might think, before she whipped out a throwing knife and downed an orc. Alas, the warg still kept coming and apparently had felt some loyalty to its master, for now it sneered and snarled at her in putrid hate.

The next knife saw the inside of its skull and put the hatred to rest.

Thorin saw her proficient display with knives and was thoroughly impressed. He'd heard from his nephews how she had held her ground against the wolves, but part of him had believed them to embellish the story in favor of their new friend. What he saw now put his doubts to rest.

He felt a strange swell in his chest as he watched her and frowned at the feeling. He didn't understand what it meant or of what it was born. It was an almost uncomfortable concoction of pride, excitement, fear for her safety, and attraction. The ever present increasingly powerful attraction that had him on edge and pulled his insides with longing even when his conscious mind attempted to obliterate the notion by cold logic.

He suddenly realized that the threat they were all under included Lori, and that if they were defeated, she too would die. The thought was unbearable to him, and with a heavy heart he decided that he would lay down his life in protection of her. They would have to kill him before he let them touch a hair on her dirty, tousled blonde head.

He was about to move to her when the wizard popped out of a rock and yelled at them to follow him. Truth be told, Thorin was rather apprehensive about following Gandalf blindly, because when he had asked him earlier where he was leading them, he had merely looked uncomfortable and failed to answer. The two of them had had the conversation before, and it was clear that Gandalf was partial to enter the domain of the elves, even though Thorin had made no qualms about expressing his distaste for the treacherous beings.

Still, the opportunity to abandon their current precarious position was a welcome one, and he breathed a sigh of relief that Dwalin had been mistaken in his assessment of the wizard's cowardice.

"Come on, move!" Thorin jumped up on the rock that revealed a steep entrance into the ground. "Quickly, all of you!"

He stood watch as his men jumped down the uneven slope, one by one. Gandalf stood at the bottom, counting as they came down. When Lori was almost at the passage, the first warg had reached them and without a moment's hesitation, Thorin whirled her behind his back whilst chopping down the beast with his sword hand.

Lori lost her footing at his sudden movement, knelt to her right knee, and In doing so she saw two more riders approaching Kili faster at the sight of their quarry disappearing. She dispatched one with a toss of a knife, And just as the last one reached Kili to fall upon him in a frenzy of piercing teeth and claws, she caught it in the shoulder with another blade, making it slide to their feet in an ungraceful tumble.

Only a second passed before Thorin felled the beast and rider. He gave Kili a scathing look for falling behind, that had his nephew ducking his head in apology. Getting carried away and losing sight of his fellow fighters could get him killed, and Thorin knew for a fact that Kili had been made aware of this before. By himself, no less.

Thorin helped Lori up and wrapped his arms tightly around her before jumping into the hole, not failing to notice that she held on to him for dear life and that her gasping breath on his neck made the small hairs stand on edge pleasantly.

They landed in a thud on the cave floor, Thorin's arms underneath Lori's head and back, and the rest of him pressing down on her. Lori had her arms trapped under his and when she moved her legs she found out that Thorin lay firmly between them. The pressure felt safe, protective, and though they were separated by many layers of wool and leather, she felt warmth radiating between them, cocooning her and heating her from within.

She was hidden from view by his mane of hair, which had fallen to cover both their faces in the landing. His musky scent mingled with her more floral one and even though both of them had layers of dirt and a full day's sweat on them, she couldn't help but to inhale slowly and deeply of the intoxicating aroma.

Thorin met her half-lidded eyes in surprise and she knew instantly that she'd been caught sniffing him when his frame hardened against her in what she believed to be awkward tension. The motion made her keenly aware of the compromising situation they were in, as well as the fact that his heavily muscled form was fitted perfectly against her soft core.

"Are you hurt?" He whispered in an uncommonly husky voice that ghosted over her skin. the deep bass sent pleasant warmth through her that landed firmly in the pit of her stomach.

Lori drew in a sharp breath at the pleasure and her eyes widened in mortification when Thorin tried to ease her breathing by placing his weight further down, on her lower body and quickly awakening womanhood. This only increased pressure between them, and by then Thorin was also feeling the bracing effect of their close contact. He did his best to ignore it, hoping that she would be too inexperienced to notice his body's reactions.

"Lori?" He asked again. "Can you breathe?"

"Yes," she whispered, her lips so close to his that he could almost taste the sweet air on them. "I can breathe."

"Are you hurt?" He tried to pull out the arm that was caught under her back carefully to test if it caused her any pain.

"No." Her eyes smiled gently at his careful movements as she realized what he was doing. "You protected me well."

His features relaxed and he gave her a small nod as he pulled his arm free. When he raised himself up on it, Lori had to close her eyes and grit her teeth to not exclaim at the friction of his groin on hers. As soon as he lifted the rest of himself to sit back on his haunches, she closed her knees and sat up to hug them. His heat was suddenly sorely missed from her body, even though it had only been there for a moment.

"I am sorry," Thorin frowned at her vulnerable body language. "I didn't mean to cause you discomfort."

Lori looked at him in confusion. "Not at all, Thorin. If not for you I would have been far worse off from that fall. Like I said; You protected me well, and I thank you."

At that very moment there was a clear sound of a horn from the plain above them, and every set of eyes peered at the bright opening in fresh trepidation. There was great commotion and they heard several of their enemies scream in pain before one of the hideous orcs fell down the slope, dead from an elvish arrow in his blackened heart.

Suddenly Lori knew where they were. The hidden passage to Rivendell, and Gandalf had led them straight there. Her shocked eyes stared at him in betrayal. If the elves saw her, they would surely give away information that she had yet to share with the company, and the outcome would be disastrous. Not to mention that Thorin had given specific instructions that he would not willingly set foot there, and the wizard had gone directly against them.

When Gandalf smugly agreed to follow the pathway, all Lori could do was scowl at him for his deception and hope that things would go quietly and smoothly once she met with her old friends, the elves of Imladris.

**..o00Ô00o..**

**Not the best chapter ever, but it had to be done in order to get to the next part.**

**Review, lovely readers. I never, ever fail to appreciate the hell out of it! You are all amazing, and without your constant support, this chapter would have killed me for sure. I owe you one!**


	12. Chapter 12

Trudging through the never-ending canyon on rapidly receding adrenaline, the frightful night of running and the following flight over the heath finally caught up to Lori. Spirits were low in the company, to say the least, for no one had gotten enough rest, but Lori was the one who ached in every fiber of her being. Several places in the passage were narrow enough that she could support her weight on the walls with her arms to immense relief for her legs, and she was tempted to ask for rest even though she knew it would probably be disapproved of, coming from her.

The last thing she wanted was to look weak and not up to the task because of her 'inferior' sex, so she bit down on the pain, the fatigue and the general sweaty discomfort and continued to hobble along as best she could.

After an hour or so, Thorin fell back to walk behind her, taking up the rear guard from Nori. She felt herself tensing, knowing that he was probably watching her and her stomach started to do strange somersaults at the thought. Her mind kept bringing up the feeling of him pressing down on her and the way his voice had sounded as he spoke to her. A small smile crept onto her lips and stayed there, even as she ducked her head to hide it. She was very curious to why she felt this way when she thought of him. It was unsettling, yet somehow very exciting and it gave her a boost in energy when it surged through her.

Lori kept up the pace of the stout dwarves as well as she could, but still she slowly began to sag behind. When they reached a place where they had to climb, she suddenly found Thorin's strong hands lifting her up by the waist and she yelped loudly in surprise. She looked back at him when he let go, and almost caught sight of a very amused smile before he looked down at the rocky surface and climbed up himself, effectively hiding his face under his hair and beard.

She abruptly turned around and hurried on down the narrow corridor in the rock, entirely ignoring politeness by not thanking him for his help, but then again, it would probably be best to state that she was perfectly capable to overcome a bit of rock herself, and that she by no means needed his help in the first place. The notion that he would laugh at her for her less than graceful noise, however, was something that her pride didn't approve of. In fact it was even a bit hurtful for some reason.

But, she really didn't want to be rude, so she quickly decided to go back and thank him, whilst of course making sure he knew that he wasn't obligated to push or drag her up any rough terrain they might encounter.

The second she whirled about, she smacked into a solid chest with an "Oomph!".

"We can't keep bumping into each other like this," he smirked as he steadied her. "People will think it's on purpose."

"N- No, it wasn't," she collected herself and regained her balance. "I just wanted to thank you… And tell you that…" The words dried in her mouth when she saw the kind blue eyes looking at her in a bewildering sense of understanding mixed with amusement.

"Then why did you run?" He asked while releasing her shoulders and slowly running his large warm hands down her sleeved arms.

"I… I guess I got confused." Her stomach flipped and her heart skipped a few beats when he stepped even closer, holding her eyes transfixed with his.

"About?" It seemed impossible that a voice should be able to hit such deep notes that one's insides started to dance, but there it was. Lori's inner turmoil was mystifying and somewhat troubling to her, because she had never before, in all her years, had this reaction to anything or anyone.

"I must confess, I don't quite know what to say and do, when I'm in your company…" Her shy eyes found a spot on his tunic and focused on the threaded pattern. "I don't even know if I would offend you if I refuse your help, or if I'd make an ill impression if I accept it…"

"Lori," He interrupted her, making her look him in the eye again. "Are you uncomfortable with it? I'll stop if you don't want me to touch you."

"It's not that… It's just that I've never… Received help so easily before." Her head was a chaotic jumble of thoughts of the way his touches felt, her body's reactions, what the company might think, what Gandalf might think, what Thorin's intentions were and if there was some other meaning behind his actions. In her experiences, people seldom did anything out of the pure kindness of their hearts.

"You've never received assistance from Gandalf in your travels?" He frowned in puzzlement.

"You are not Gandalf." She blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Indeed I am not. Then do you mean to say that you distrust me in particular?" The blue of his eyes hardened and his hands seemed to tighten their grip.

"No. No, I trust you. Really, I do… I know that you are honorable… And strong. And that you care deeply for your people," With every honeyed word he softened and was slowly drawn nearer to her. "And that you'd protect me from harm… And that I'm safe with you…"

"Mmm hmm…" He agreed as his eyes flickered to her lips. Lips, that she unconsciously moistened when his attention was drawn to them. His brows drew together as if he was solving a great mystery whilst warring with himself over some dilemma.

"I guess I'm just not used to this… feeling." Her heart was pounding and Thorin was a breath away from her, lifting his eyes to hers as if asking permission for something. "It's very… big…"

The corners of his lips lifted slightly and his voice was husky when he answered, "It is, isn't it?"

Lori's eyes widened at the terrible pun she had just made, and she was just about to start backpedaling when he stopped her with a finger under her chin.

"Shh, don't worry," his eyes were lidded pools of blue silver. "I feel it too. This… Pull."

"_Thorin!" _Dwalin's voice echoed through the passage, around a bend where the others had disappeared. _"Everything alright back there?"_

He let out a breath he'd been holding and stepped back. "Fine! We're coming!"

Lori felt dizzy and disoriented by the abrupt loss of the magnetism that had kept her in Thorin's gravity for the last few minutes.

"We'd better move. Wherever Gandalf's taking us, he seems intent on getting us there before nightfall. Come, Lori, keep up." He held a hand out to help her up another boulder, but didn't release it once she'd climbed it. Whether it was for the sake of dragging her along faster or to hold on to a bit of their moment together, she did not know, but she kept his hand in hers nevertheless.

When his thumb stroked the back of her hand in a slow rhythm, she blushed and smiled straight into the air, until they turned around the bend and she saw the company a bit further up the ravine. Dwalin had a fierce scowl directed at them without any sort of restraint. He was a scary dwarf when he saw fit to turn his anger at someone, and right now Lori seemed to have fallen from his favor.

"Thorin!" She whispered. "You can let go now…"

He glanced at her with a questioning frown, but did as she said, just as he had promised. He did keep close to her, though, and supported her back lightly when her step faltered. After a few missteps on her bad ankle, Lori accepted it and he seemed to let go of a bit of tension when she smiled her thanks at him.

"What's the hold up?" Dwalin asked Thorin gruffly when they caught up to the others who'd all paused to see where their leader had gone.

"An injured ankle. Keep moving."

Dwalin grunted and did as ordered, but shot Thorin a warning look before he turned around. One that Thorin returned with a hard stare that soon had Dwalin backing down and minding his own business for now.

They walked for most of the afternoon and by the time they finally reached the opening in the rock wall that led out to Rivendell, Lori had almost started to wish for the arrival at the elven city herself. Almost.

The fact that she was terrified of meeting the elves again in the company of her newfound friends, who knew nothing of her paternal heritage, made itself more and more known to her with every step she took towards the Last Homely House. It gnawed at her conscious that she hadn't told at least Thorin about it even after swearing to be honest with him, and there was no doubt in her mind that he would feel betrayed by her if he should hear it from those he considered to be enemies of his people.

But wishing for it or not, Imladris appeared before them, just as the sun was about to set over the western mountain ridge, bathing everything in brilliant pastels and draining fear and discomfort from the minds of the beholders. This was a haven created for the solace and peace of all good creatures in Arda, and the absolute serene beauty of the view gave such pleasure to the eye that the mind could not possibly fret here, unless of course you were a dwarf and distrusted everything to do with elves.

Lori heard Thorin's accusation at Gandalf and dreaded that he would end up abandoning the wizard and herself because of the deceit.

She understood his anger towards Gandalf completely. The wizard had played him for a fool and led him to the exact people he never wanted to face. Granted, the circumstances were dire and he hadn't had a real choice, but he should have informed their leader of their whereabouts the minute he knew that Imladris was an inevitable stop on their journey.

She also understood that Thorin'a reactions were magnified because he made a large and quite crude generalization by putting Lord Elrond's house under the same category as Thranduil's, just because they shared the same race. As a dwarf, who considered all other dwarven clans to be a part of their close-knit society with their hidden kingdoms and their secret language and culture, he was unlikely to understand that Thranduil's betrayal of the line of Durin had nothing to do with Elrond and Rivendell. And so this was why Thorin's trust in Gandalf suffered an even greater blow by the old man's ambidextrous actions.

There was only one person in the company who purely saw Rivendell with all of the wonder and joy that Lori remembered experiencing herself on her first visit here. Bilbo looked absolutely awestruck as he beheld the wondrous architecture and nature that seemed to mold around it in a gentle embrace.

"Amazing, isn't it?" She asked him when he gazed over the valley.

"Yes… It truly is." He sighed. "I never thought I'd get to meet the elves. Even as a boy I always wanted to see them."

"Just you wait, Bilbo." She smiled and patted his shoulder as she pushed ahead, starting the group's motion once more.

They entered the courtyard and Gandalf started to talk to the greeting elf whilst Lori felt eager to point out the statues, buildings and artworks to Bilbo that she knew from her former visits. Of course, if she did so, everyone would know immediately that she hadn't been entirely truthful with them, and that wasn't the way she wanted to break it to them. So she kept quiet for now.

There was a sound of an elvish horn and the clatter of many horse hooves coming across the bridge towards them, and suddenly Lori felt herself being pushed into the center of the group along with Bilbo and Ori, as Thorin shouted to close ranks.

She was about to protest the rude treatment, when she spotted Elrond among the riders and instantly shut her mouth and pulled her hood up. When the majestic elf-lord dismounted and greeted her mentor, she was glad of her diminished height, seeing the question in his eyes as to her whereabouts. He glanced across the group and when he caught her eye she almost panicked. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat, but Elrond only gave an imperceptible frown before he nodded his head slightly and turned towards the front of the group.

Just then, Thorin stepped forward and distracted his attentions, making it clear and known that if the elf-lord wanted to talk to someone in the company, it would be him. Lori breathed a sigh of relief, even as Thorin did his best to insult the great Lord by feigning ignorance to his identity.

When the offer of food was made and the dwarves turned to counsel whether they should take it or not, she had trouble holding back her smile. As if they would really turn down food! And just as she'd prophesied the dwarves accepted, albeit with great complaint about both the food and the music that was offered to them.

After dinner, consisting of salad, a main course of roasted boar and waffles with berry compote for desert, no dwarf, hobbit or wizard could eat another bite, despite the skepticism that had been displayed at first. The elf, Lindir, came to collect the men and an elleth by the name of Mariel asked Lori to follow her in the other direction. She collected her things and was about to comply when she was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"No." Thorin looked straight at the elleth and kept a firm but gentle grip on Lori. "She stays with us."

Mariel looked surprised, but asked in a neutral voice, "You mean to bathe together, my Lord?"

Thorin turned a lovely shade of puce and released his hold. "No. But I will not leave a member of my company unguarded." He crossed his arms and turned a stony glare on Mariel.

Lori was about to point out that she wasn't an official part of his company when Mariel continued, "I will post guards at your lady's door, then. Or, if you prefer, you may post guards of your own?"

_His lady?_

"I prefer that she stay and that she will bathe in our facilities in privacy," came the gruff answer.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Our facilities are very open, as are all of our structures. This is why we have offered your lady her own quarters."

_Now wait a minute!_

Thorin seemed to think this over for a minute. "I see. Then I will need to know where you're taking her so I can post a guard."

_Why isn't he correcting her?_

"Of course, my Lord. I will take your Lady to her chamber where there will be a bath drawn for her. It's located by the blood oak on the other side of that courtyard." Mariel bowed her head politely and took her leave, expecting Lori to follow her without question.

She just shrugged and smiled sideways at Thorin. "I could do with a bath…" She said. "I think we all could?"

With a wink, she ran a few steps to catch up to the long-legged elleth before she turned a corner and was gone from his worried sight.


	13. Chapter 13

Lori sank into the great marble tub, a pool really, and breathed a great sigh of relief as her tight, sore muscles unwound in the hot water. All of the stress and tension of the past weeks drained from her body, and she was content to just sit and stew for a while, letting the dirt cakes dissolve on their own.

When the water turned luke-warm and she was about to doze off - her nose accidentally slipping under the water - she decided it was time to start scrubbing. She grabbed the cloth and soap, and the water quickly started to get a murky brown quality to it. Wringing out the cloth with a grimace, she emptied the basin and refilled it with almost scalding water.

She started to undo her braids, but the rough trip and weather over the past weeks had clotted them into hopeless dreadlocks that she struggled greatly with until finally calling for help.

"Hello?" She tried.

"_Yes, my lady?"_ Mariel's voice answered from the other side of the door.

"Could you help me? I'm having trouble with my hair…" She felt a smart of shame admitting it to the perfect and ever graceful elleth.

Mariel entered in her quiet, flowing style, "Certainly. What is the problem?"

"Err… Can't you tell?" Lori felt sure that the elleth must be making fun of her, for by now she had to look like she was growing a bush on her head, so tangled was her hair.

"Ah, yes my lady. I'll get the balm you need to undo your braids. Just a moment."

"Oh, and Mariel?"

"Yes?"

"Please, it's Lori. Ok?" She gave the elleth a shy smile.

"Very well." She returned the smile, bowed and left without a sound before returning with a jar of creamy substance that she rubbed into Lori's hair and let sit for a moment. Then she began to gently massage her scalp and slowly combed her hair out whilst rinsing it.

"Your hair is very beautiful. I would say it rivals even the queen of Lorien's in beauty and luster."

Lori, who had been dozing at the hypnotic pleasure of her pampering, tensed a bit but quickly tried to recover. "Thank you. That is high praise indeed. I suppose washing it helps."

"Yes," Mariel smiled. "I suppose it does."

She continued her ministrations in a comfortable silence. Lori heard a gruff voice outside her chamber door, but figured it was one of the men coming to stand guard. Silly and unnecessary as it was. Mariel's hands had finished combing and rinsing out the balm, and were removed for a few moments before returning and carefully running through the strands. Lori thought nothing of it and continued to unwind in the steam.

The hands seemed to linger when they touched her neck and cheekbones and there was warmth in them that made the experience even more relaxing. Lori sighed and leaned into the touch, and the hands began to knead her neck in a gentle and firm massage. She would never have thought the elleth had such strong hands, but the feeling was so wonderful she didn't want to do anything but enjoy it.

When a particularly sensitive spot behind her ears was massaged, she gave a pleasurable groan and leaned back further, lifting her torso partially out of the steaming, soapy bath water. She thought she heard a whisper saying _"Mahal, help me"_,and the hands paused heavily for a minute on her shoulders. Lori chalked it up to water sluicing in her ears until the thumbs on her shoulders started to caress her skin in small circles in a disturbingly familiar way.

"Lori, may I braid your hair?"

In a split second her brain recognized the deep timbre of his voice, alerted her to the fact that she was bare-breasted and wet, and that it was Thorin who'd been tending to her for the past fifteen minutes or so.

"_THORIN!"_ She whirled into the middle of the pool and covered herself in her hair and hands as she turned to him. "What on _earth_ are you doing?"

He looked like a fish out of water as he sat gaping at her. "I… I was tending to your hair..?"

She stared at him as if he had gone and lost his marbles. "I'm in the bath. Naked." Her words were slow as she stated the obvious to him.

"I am aware…" He seemed uncomfortable as he shifted in the chair, but gathered his wits about him as he continued. "I came to check on you and when they wouldn't let me in, I insisted."

"You mean you grew suspicious and stubborn?" She almost smiled.

"They are elves, Lori. Not to be trusted," he reminded her.

Lori's heart sank a bit, but she already knew he felt this way. "Right. You were saying?"

"Well… I just thought you'd like some help with your braids?" _Was he actually blushing?_

"I see… Well, actually I would, but I'd like to get dressed first, if you don't mind?" She looked him up and down for second. "Speaking of which, what _are_ you wearing?"

He examined his clothes for a second. "A bathrobe."

"And metal boots?"

"I'll not go around barefoot and unarmed." He stubbornly defended his unusual sense of fashion, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "I am not a hobbit."

Lori laughed loudly at his affronted manner and the ridiculousness of his male ego, to which he grew more uncomfortable and started fidgeting with his robe.

"Sorry… I'm sorry…" She giggled as she tried to compose herself.

"I don't think I believe you." He said with rueful smile. "I think you like laughing at me."

"Just your clothes, my King. Just your clothes." Her smile radiated at him as she stood in the pool with her hair surrounding her body and her cheeks flushed with heat. Thorin found her absolutely breathtaking and discovered that he was smiling back at her.

"Could you maybe hand me a towel?" She asked.

Thorin snapped out of it and looked around for the towels. They were large white sheets of soft, thick cotton, big enough to wrap any tall elf in and he held it up in front of him, urging Lori to come out of the water.

"Come. I won't look." He promised.

"If you'd asked me this morning, I'd have said that you would never do such a thing." She eyed him skeptically. "Now, I'm not so sure."

"Please forgive me… I meant no offense." He turned his head and closed his eyes to preserve her modesty and to demonstrate to her that he didn't intend to peek.

For a moment he thought he was going to have to get Mariel back to help her out instead, but then he heard her move out of the water. When her body backed into the sheet, he embraced and wrapped her in the soft fabric without opening his eyes.

"Thank you," She turned around, still encircled by his arms, and put her free hand on his chest. "You may look now."

And he did. He drank in her beauty as if he might never see it again, relishing in the darkening of her amethyst eyes when she stepped closer to him, turning them into a deep indigo. He was at a loss for words, and instead let his hands caress her wet hair, travelling his fingertips down her temples and cheekbones in reverence. His thumb caressed the perfect cupid's bow of her upper lip, and when it circled down to the lower, she kissed it and looked at him through her long lashes.

He was undone. Any protest he'd had against it, and any argument he had made with himself were pushed aside as he fluidly closed the distance between them, catching her lips with his in a soft melding. His soul roared in joy when she melted into him and raised her face to meet him. He let his fingers slide down to her curved neck, finding the pulse points drumming fast like two beating wings of a hummingbird.

When he moved his lips, she made a soft moan of pleasure, as the one he'd drawn from her by massaging her neck, and he had to restrain himself from immediately pulling the bath sheet off of her. His hands bunched the fabric in tight fists on her back and pulled her close to his body. He tried to find the reasons he'd had not to do this, but they seemed to have fled his mind the moment her sweet scent hit him and the taste of her summer breath assaulted his senses.

She was so petite against him it was unlike any dwarf girl he'd ever held before, yet her soft, strong and ample curves left no doubt in his mind that she was all woman. He loosened his grip on the bath sheet and let his hands travel to the plush landscape of her rear, finally giving in to the urge he'd had since he first saw the sway of her hips on a road in Hobbiton,;to grab and knead the plump muscle there.

Lori had lost sense of up and down the moment Thorin's lips had met hers, and the butterflies in her stomach had magically turned into fully fledged eagles. There was surprise, vaguely registering in her mind, when she didn't get prickled by his beard. It was softer than she had expected and caressed her chin instead of scratching it. It sensitized her lips and aroused her, especially when Thorin hummed deeply and hugged her tightly to him.

Lori gasped when she felt his intrepid hands grabbing her butt, incidentally giving him access to deepen the kiss and taste her mouth, to which he quickly took advantage of. She quivered against his solid form and returned his kisses the best she could, their tongues caressing in an ancient dance.

Underneath her fingertips, she tentatively touched the expanse of his chest and slowly parted the robe to reach more skin. It was hot and smooth to the touch and rippled as he moved with her. Lori grew bolder and slowly ran her free hand down towards his navel, further parting the cotton. When she reached the belt and started to fiddle with it, Thorin groaned and broke their embrace, grabbing her adventurous hand.

"No, wait Lori," he ground out.

"Oh… Right. Apologies…" She regained her senses.

"Don't apologize," Thorin caught her eyes with his, pleading with her to understand. "You did nothing wrong."

Lori looked at him for a while, trying to read his thoughts, which was mostly impossible for any being in Middle earth. Needless to say, she failed as well.

"Alright… What can I do for you, then?" She tried.

Thorin relaxed and took her by the hand. "You can let me braid your hair. It would be my honor."

She chuckled as she followed him to the vanity in her bedroom where he helped her sit on the small padded bench, which was accommodating to her height, strangely enough . From the vanity in front of an oval mirror in rich wooden carving, he retrieved a brush and comb and started to work through her tresses.

"What is it with dwarves and hair, anyway?" She asked him with a teasing smile.

"Actually, it is tightly connected to our culture…" He started. "Didn't your mother tell you of it?"

"She told me the significance of me not having a beard, and what a dwarf's beard means to him or her. But not much about hair, no. Perhaps she meant to, but never got the chance before she died…" Lori turned her eyes down at the sudden and familiar pain that struck her when she thought of losing her mother.

"I'm sorry," Thorin said as his hands stilled in the pale golden strands. "I know what it is to lose family."

"It was long ago. But sometimes the pain is still there as fresh as the day she passed." She sighed and tried to force her agony back.

"It gets better with time. My father has been gone for a hundred years this summer, and though I still miss him, the fond memories are now stronger than the pain."

She stared in wonder at the man in her mirror, who was so openly discussing his feelings and family with her. "You never talked about him before."

"No, I never did." He started up on her hair again. "Not to anyone."

"Thank you." She whispered, earning her a gentle smile.

"The significance of a woman's braids tells which family she belongs to. This goes for a man's as well, but certain bits and baubles can be added to signify achievements he's made. Women usually only use hair jewelry when they're married."

"So wait… What are you going to do with mine? I've no family." She stopped his hands.

"I was hoping you'd let me do this, as a token of my… Courting you."

She was flabbergasted for a minute. "You mean to woo me? For me to be your lady? And to let all the men know it?" She tried to clarify.

"Yes." He said steadfastly as he held her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes through the mirror and smiled warmly at her.

"But you're going to be the King under the mountain. You'll need a queen, not someone like me."

"And why wouldn't someone like you be fit to be queen under the mountain?" He teased as he held her gaze and caressed her shoulders.

Lori broke his spell with a sigh. "Thorin… You need to know something about me."

He kissed the top of her head affectionately. "What is it?"

"My father… You never asked about him." She looked up to gauge his mood. He seemed only curious.

"You see, I know how you feel, but please bear in mind that I neither chose this, nor did I even know him." She begged.

"How _I_ feel? What do you mean?" He looked at her perplexed. "How are my feelings related to your father?"

"I meant to tell you much sooner, I swear, but the opportunity never presented itself… My father's name was Lórindol; meaning Goldenhead in ancient sindarin, of the Greenwood Forest. Thorin, my father was an elf."

Dark clouds spread like a storm in Thorin's eyes, and the grip he had on her shoulders turned to iron. "This is not possible." He started.

"It is. He was travelling when he met my mother and her parents. She was devastated when he left and she found out she was with child." Her words were rushed, as if she was trying to douse the flames of his temper with them.

"An elf?" The low rumble of thunder couldn't have sounded more menacing than his voice, and Lori cringed in trepidation.

"Yes. He was. But he passed into the west before he even knew I existed." She bravely continued.

"And you? You neglected to tell me we were travelling with a treacherous _half-breed_! Are you as deceitful as the rest of your kin?!" The thunder broke loose in earnest. "I fell for it! You had me under your spell all along, witch. You poisoned my mind!"

He could have struck her. Or stabbed her, or pushed her off a cliff to her death, and it wouldn't have hurt as much. All she could do was to sit in shocked silence as he fumed and accused her of betraying him. As he called her a half-breed, a witch and sneered disgustedly at her. This man, who had gone out of his way to be courteous to her, who had just shared his inner truths and kissed her, asked to court her and make her his... A _half-breed_. With emphasis on the half that belonged to a race that he hated with all of his being.

He let her go with a push as he huffed in contempt and stomped out of the room as she sat in sheer panic, trying to gain control over her body and stop him. When the door slammed in a blast of noise, Lori broke into a long, silent scream before the violent sobs overtook her form.

She had lost him. And with him, her only family.

..o00Ô00o..

**And now, for the ever annoying author's note: Bless every one of you for following, reading and reviewing this story. It keeps me going, so keep it up my friends :)**

**And if you're not into blessings, I'll offer cookies or ice cream instead for all reviewers! -Depending on your craving... :D**


	14. Chapter 14

Thorin slammed the door behind him and stomped back in the direction he'd come from, completely forgetting that he'd placed Dwalin as a guard outside Lori's door before going in. His thoughts were in a turmoil and he felt as if a force was tearing his chest apart. He hadn't felt such betrayal since Thranduil had abandoned his people in their hour of need after just extending the hand of friendship to them.

And now this woman, who had saved his nephew from the wolves, saved himself from wargs, and somehow wormed her way into the hearts of his men turned out to be an elf. An _elf!_ The most deceitful, beautiful and cunning creatures of Middle Earth. She had even played to his lust and want to gain his trust and _manipulate_ him. Like the elves that came before her, she was likely after the wealth of Erebor and the Arkenstone, the one thing that would prove their right to rule.

"Thorin!" The ever broody Dwalin was hot on his heels and caught up to him in a courtyard of grass where a fountain trickled it's water in the center.

"What?" He snapped over his shoulder and kept walking. He knew he was taking his anger out on the wrong person, but at the moment he had little, oh so very little control over himself.

"I need to talk to you." Dwalin grabbed his arm and turned him around.

If they hadn't been comrades in arms for the last 142 years, this action would have cost him physical pain due to the state Thorin was in. Instead he fumed at him, but held his tongue as he waited for what Dwalin had to say.

"It's about the girl…" He started.

"What about her?" Thorin growled.

"I don't think we should trust her." Dwalin never was one to beat around the bush, so he pressed on, "I've seen how you two look at each other, and she's not right for you, you know."

If at all possible, Thorin's scowl got even deeper. "And why is that?"

"We're on a quest to take back Erebor from a dragon, and you're going to be our king after that, our thane! Who is she to be queen, but an orphan half-human witch? Vorum dwarkar geddum?" Dwalin forcefully pleaded.

"You would speak to me of our ancestors?" Thorin asked in a deceitfully low voice. "_My_ ancestors, who brought the dragon down on our people with their greed. My father, who abandoned us to pursue his own revenge when our people needed him the most? No, do not speak to me about my fathers, or what they would think of Lori. They have no right to disapprove in my book."

Dwalin crossed his arms and looked discerning at Thorin. "And your people?"

Thorin sighed and rubbed his face. "As far as I can tell, everyone she meets would fall in love with her," He sighed and shook his head, "But you needn't worry, Dwalin. She's no longer welcome in my company."

Dwalin looked bewildered at this proclamation. "What changed your mind?"

He sighed deeply. "Nothing worth mentioning. Let's just leave it. She's not coming with us when we depart for the mountain." With that, he patted Dwalin on the arm and left him.

..o00Ô00o..

The next morning Thorin woke up with a hollow feeling inside, and not even a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes and fruit could sate the emptiness. He found himself sighing at odd times as if his lungs were depleted of air and there was a weight on his chest.

As the day blossomed, so did his temper, and whether he was shining his sword, cleaning his armor or washing his clothes, it was all done with an angry vigor that clearly signaled to all other dwarves to leave him well enough alone.

By noon, the incessant cheer and peace of Rivendell had him ready to knock whoever would disturb him into next week, and he realized he needed to vent before he accidentally killed one of their hosts and started a war.

"Bombur! Bofur! Stay with the camp. The rest of you come with me to the arena." He ordered.

Several of the dwarves looked at each other with worried glances and careful shrugs. None of them wanted to face the fierce and furious leader in a sparring match that day, but orders were orders. Dwalin, Nori and Bifur were the first to follow him, whilst Fili and Kili needed a good nudging from Balin before they got going. They knew their uncle too well to look forward to this exercise.

The first elf they met Thorin grabbed by the arm and gruffly asked without preamble where the training grounds were. The startled ellon pointed them in a direction and quickly stammered that it was on the mountainside by the far end of the waterfall, before he hastily retreated to a dwarf-free zone.

The training arena was a large grassy area with targets for bow-practice standing or riding on horseback and throwing-weapons practice, as well as rings for wrestling and hand-to-hand combat and sparring. Only a few elves were present and they mainly stuck to the shooting range, whilst the dwarves took on the sparring rings.

The grass in the three rings was cut short and even, but there were obstacles planted in various heights and forms to make up for the lack of challenge in the terrain. Barrels, boulders and poles were spread out to use as one saw fit in a fight, for coverage, height advantage or even missiles if you had the strength for it.

"Spread out and warm up. We don't need injuries." Thorin said, and started on his own warm up kata, having the men followed his lead. Exercising and focusing his thoughts around the training helped him get his anger somewhat under control, and after a little while he was ready to face his first opponent in the ring.

Dwalin had long since figured out what his bad mood was caused by, and wasn't about to let Thorin put punishment on one of the others for whatever was going on with him and the girl. Not without them knowing why at least, and so he stepped forward and took his stance against Thorin.

"Are you going to tell them?" He asked Thorin between the two of them.

"Tell them what?" Thorin was not in a mindset to talk feelings when he had the perfect opportunity to avoid it with a sword in his hand. He charged Dwalin, who parried and ducked out of his path.

"Don't be daft, Thorin," Dwalin narrowly escaped another strike aimed at his head. "That you kicked out the ruddy wench, of course!"

Something about the way he spoke of Lori grated on Thorin's nerves, and he couldn't help but respond. "Watch what you say. She's no wench."

"No wench?" Weapons clashed and bodied rolled to evade injury. "Haven't you seen her?" He made a vulgar gesture to illustrate the size of her breasts.

Thorin saw red and charged in a frenzied cadence of clanging metal and punches. "Her name is Lori, and she's a bloody _elf!_ That's why She's staying. I can't have an _elf_ with us!" He spat.

"An elf? Says who?" Dwalin stood and lowered his guard in surprise, earning him an elbow to the face that knocked him flat on the ground.

"She did," Thorin panted as he stood over him and offered him a hand up. "Yesterday. Her father was an elf."

"Well that settles it then. She's inherently evil and will stab us in our sleep if we bring her." Dwalin's sarcasm was dripping from his words and Thorin didn't know what his point was.

"I thought you said we shouldn't trust her?" Thorin was beginning to get annoyed by this confusion as well as the fact that Dwalin even thought he had the right to question him in the first place.

"Aye. But not on account of her father. On account of you," he explained. "Look, she's nice and all, and very easy on the eyes, but we need you level-headed and focused on the quest. You won't be if you're watching some fine piece of arse all the way to Erebor, s'all."

"You insult me." He charged again, putting the balding dwarf in the defensive. "You say we should leave her because I would fail the men if she was there to distract me?"

"Yes."

Thorin knocked the mattock out of Dwalin's hands with Orcrist and pointed the sword to his neck. "This conversation is over! From now on, stay out of it," he panted slightly, but more due to his anger than the exertion of the fight.

He walked to the next ring briskly before he could do any real damage to Dwalin, and cursed under his breath that his temper hadn't abated in the least.

"Fili! Kili! Nori! With me."

Thankfully he failed to see the terrified faces of the boys as he got ready for another round of sparring.

..o00Ô00o..

Lori lay on her bed wearing only the bath sheet she'd been wrapped so gently in the night before. When all her tears had been spent, she'd stumbled to the bed in a daze and hadn't moved or slept since. Her shoulder was hurting greatly from lying in the same position for so long, but the physical pain felt better that the one inside her, so she cultivated it as much as she could by not shifting at all.

She knew it was a self-destructive action, and that Gandalf would be in a tiff about it when he found out, but for right now she claimed the right to wallow in grief and self-pity. She didn't know what she'd expected, but Thorin's reaction had taken her completely by surprise and she was devastated.

As she tried to think back on how she could have avoided, or at least diminished his violent reaction, she couldn't think of a single moment where the information would have been better received. If she'd told him in the wilderness, she imagined he would have left her to the wolves. At least in Rivendell she was safe from bodily harm.

In a manner of speaking, anyway… She noticed that her fingernails had turned blue and that her skin was as icy pale as the wet sheet she was wrapped in. There were many appealing qualities to the open and daylight soaked rooms of Elrond's home, but the temperature wasn't one of them. The elves didn't get cold in the way a human or dwarf did, and so they had designed their walls as visual covers for privacy, but not for shelter from the air.

Lori couldn't be bothered to care. She had been there since the stars came out, had seen them fade and the new day start, and unfortunately she was still alive enough to feel the immense sting of rejection. Amazing how cold could bite her skin, but the only thing she noticed was how her insides convulsed in pain, and of course the blissfully distracting pain in her shoulder.

What could she have done..?

What could she have said..?

_A treacherous half-breed!_

That's what he called her.

How had it come to that?

How could he!?

Didn't he know her at all?

Another wave of grief hit her and more tears came. It wasn't right… It wasn't fair and she didn't deserve it! Damn him!

She punched the mattress hard, and the action made her realize just how stiff, sore and freezing her night with no animation whatsoever had truly made her. She shivered with cold and rage as her senses woke to find her in a near-shock state.

Deciding that she wasn't going to kill herself over a bigoted prick who couldn't see past his own prejudices, she hobbled to the bath and poured herself another hot one, just to soak up the heat of the water. A she lay fuming, and occasionally crying, all she wanted to do was to escape from her own thoughts. The memory of how his hands had felt on her as she bathed last night had her bolting upright and getting dried before the images could force themselves to the forefront of her mind.

She would never think of it again if she could help it! Damn her weak heart for wanting him in the first place!

Quickly, she dressed and tore open the door Thorin had so vehemently slammed an eternity ago. There was a tray of food and drink laid out for her on a table outside the door, and next to it she saw Ori reading a book.

"Hey Ori," she almost started crying again at the thought of how greatly she would miss them all. "What are you reading?"

"'Morning miss Lori." He kept his eyes in the book until he finished a passage. When he looked up, his smile instantly fell. "What's the matter?"

"How do you mean?" Her dull voice said. Funny, she didn't remember her voice being dull this way since before Gandalf had found her in the days when she had mourned the loss of her beloved mother.

"Well, pardon me for saying, but you look awful. To look at you, I would have said you were very sick… Are you coming down with something?"

"Oh…" _Think fast! _"Could be… I didn't sleep very well last night." She hated lying to him, but she couldn't very well tell him everything that had happened. Thorin was his king, and it was obvious that Ori idolized him with every fiber of his being.

"I think I just need a few day's rest."

"Right... In that case, I can tell you where the library is. Some elvish bloke named Elladan said we could use it as we pleased. It's this way, miss." He jumped up and went to take her elbow. She must really look a fright if he thought she needed support to just walk down a hallway.

She smiled feebly at him. "Thank you Ori. You've always been very nice to me."

He blushed and smiled shyly. "My pleasure, miss."

"Oh, and the bloke, Elladan, who told you we could use the library? That was Lord Elrond's son." She gave his hand a squeeze. "Just so you know."

"Really? Oh, that's exciting! I was talking to a prince of the elves!" His eyes lit up and there was a skip in his step. "I'll have to write it down in my journal."

Lori smiled her first genuine smile in what seemed like ages. "I guess you will, then."

"Here we are." After a bit, he stopped in front of two great double-doors with intricate organic carvings that made the doors look like they had grown by their own volition to fit the frame. "Will you be alright miss? I need to go and get my journal, but I'll come back with a cup of tea for you, if you'd like?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Take your time, I'm not going anywhere for a while, I think. And thank you for your help, Ori." She couldn't quite meet his eyes, but she squeezed his hand before letting go and entering the immense library of Rivendell.

There were countless great columns of book shelves twisting towards the ceiling high above her and as she looked for the top of them, she realized that they were tree trunks that accommodated for the thousands of books with hollows and twisting branches, as they themselves reached for the light. Great canopies of green leaves shaded the books from sun and rain and left a living atmosphere under their shelter.

The white and corn flower blue marble floors were swept clean and their patterns were suspiciously geometric and meticulous considering the elves' penchant for the more organic shapes. If Lori didn't know better, she would have said that they were dwarven-made, but the way they complemented the trees' roots suggested that elves had at least been consulted in the making. In any case, it was extremely beautiful.

As she wandered through the enormous halls of books collected over several millennia, perusing titles and volumes as she went, she slowly began to feel a bit more at peace even though the ache never completely subsided. Many of the books were written in languages she had no idea what were, and others were of subjects so obscure that she felt almost unintelligent skimming the texts. But some caught her interest, and by the time she'd found a couch to sit on, her arms were full of treasures.

She even found a few on dwarrow culture, but as she started to read, memories of the previous night's conversations with Thorin stabbed her with renewed pain, and she decided to save those for another time.

Then there were those that addressed the subjects of magic in the various races of Middle-Earth from the orcs and elves to the dwarves and ents, explaining which races were generally disposed for which magical talents. As usual, she found no clear picture of where she belonged, but the read was interesting, nonetheless.

"I see you've found the library," Bilbo's gentile voice interrupted her, making her jump in surprise. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

"Bilbo! You gave me a fright!" She grinned as she held her chest to calm her heart. "But yes, Ori showed me."

"Ah, good. I always find that reading calms me. It's fantastic, the way you can find whole new worlds and amazing adventures in stories, don't you think?" He mused.

"I suppose. But I usually try to find information and research for my reading pleasures, not so much adventures. Though I agree that it soothes me as well." Lori admitted.

Bilbo smiled and pulled out a pipe from his pocket. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, please. It'll be just like studying with Gandalf." She smiled and scooted to the end of the couch to make room.

He sat and lit his pipe weed making the soft, palliate smoke drift around them. "May I ask what's caused you to appear so careworn today, Lori?"

She stiffened slightly, but realized that she hadn't the strength to make up an excuse to her friend.

"I… I think the journey from here on out will be without me, Bilbo…" She sighed. "I don't see how I can travel with you, or if I'm even welcome to."

"Why? What happened?" He looked truly concerned now and turned to her.

"I'm half elf, did I ever tell you that?" Knowing she hadn't, since it had been on her mind since the beginning to tell the company, she needed him to know now. "My father is Hador, or Lorindol, the golden head, as he was called in sindarin. One of the oldest elves in Arda's history, in fact."

"Wow, really?" He looked enthralled at her. "What's he like?"

She chuckled bitterly. "I wouldn't know. I never met him, and he's long gone from these shores now... But it seems that his legacy to me is to be solitude and loneliness." Lori cast a telling look at him, "Can you imagine what Thorin thought of this when I told him last night?"

"Oh my…" Bilbo grimaced. "He's not very fond of elves, is he?"

"Ha! That's an understatement!" She sobered and looked dejectedly at her hands in her lap. "And this is why I don't think I'll be able to come with you to the mountain."

"Hmm… I see. Well, at least you get to stay here with the elves in this wonderful place." He looked dreamily on their surroundings with a blissful expression on his face. "I think I could stay here forever and be truly happy."

Lori looked at him as if he'd sprouted another head and started to gargle out poetry through a mouthful of vintage wine. Her distaste of the notion sat so deeply with her that she almost shuddered. Stay here? With only the elves for company? Their refined tastes, impeccable manners and impregnable beauty encompassing her every day for an undefined amount of time? Absolutely not!

A plan started to form in her mind that she hadn't thought of before. The quest for Erebor had given her a sense of purpose and the company had gifted her with great friendships and adventures of the like she had never had before. She would not relinquish those for one cantankerous, prejudiced bastard dwarf, king or not, and it was time she did something about it instead of just moping around and hiding in the library.

She might not be able to travel with the company, in fact she was sure that Thorin would forbid it, but he couldn't stop her from going altogether. She would make it to Erebor or die trying. She owed it to her friends, and she owed it to herself to finish what she'd started.

"Please excuse me, Bilbo. I think I'll retire to my room." She gathered her books to put them all back.

"Sure Lori. I hope you feel better soon." He smiled.

"Oh, I'm sure I will," she agreed. "See you around, my friend."

And then she was off to pack her things for what would likely be the most dangerous journey of her life.

..o00Ô00o..

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	15. Chapter 15

Night was falling and Lori had made good time that day. It had taken her a bit of effort to track down her clothes and armor due to the fact that the elves had taken them away for cleaning, being the gracious hosts that they were. They'd provided her with plenty of way-bread and thick blankets so she would be as comfortable as possible on her trip across the mountains.

She had eaten what she could, but felt her stomach clench every time thoughts of the previous evening crossed her mind, and she'd shed bitter salted tears on her lembas throughout the meals of the day. The unfairness that something with such magnificent potential had been killed at birth hit her over and over, and the pain of it didn't get easier as she progressed. Her journey compelled her forward, but her heart and mind seemed to insist going around in circles.

After stumbling a few times on her still sprained ankle, and with the terrain getting ever rockier, she had decided to stop and bind her foot. As she sat for a moment and took a sip of water, she realized that her preoccupation with things past would likely get her killed when she got to the mountains, if she didn't pull her head out of wherever it was lodged and paid attention to her surroundings. As upset as she was with Thorin, he would not get to see her kill herself over him.

Even if he might actually find some joy in it, the bastard. It baffled her how she could have been so wrong about him, how she could have seen such strength and love, only to find the cowardly prejudice of a narrow-minded bigot.

Her tears started up again and poured silently down her blotched, snotty face. She had a feeling not even Gandalf would recognize her if she met him, so swollen were her eyes.

No. She took a deep breath and stood up, wiping her face in defiance. Enough of tears. She would have adventure in her life instead of love, witness history instead of dreaming of tender caresses, gain riches and gold instead of family and children. So be it.

Now, for firewood, shelter and a good night's sleep.

..o00Ô00o..

"You have your answer, Thorin Oakenshield, to what is hidden in your map. You are invited to a meeting with us in the morning to discuss your further journey. But for now, a feast is prepared for you and your company." Lord Elrond waved him in the right direction in a magnanimous way, ignoring the clenched jaw of the dwarf king.

Gandalf exchanged a worried glance with Elrond, but only got the elven equivalent of an mystified shrug in return.

"Bilbo, my good man," The gray wizard put a hand on the hobbit's shoulder. "Would you be so kind as to fetch Lori for this feast? I'm sure she wouldn't want to miss a good meal, if I know her right."

"Of course I will! It would be a terrible shame if she went hungry." He padded off quickly, eager to get another chance to explore a bit of Rivendell.

Still, Thorin said nothing, but his scowl got deeper at the mention of Lori and this didn't go unnoticed by Gandalf. When Elrond had left them on their path to the quarters, Gandalf turned to the dwarf in suspicion.

"What has you in such a particularly unpleasant mood tonight, Thorin, son of Thrain?" He wondered.

"What business is it of yours?" He spat.

"Perhaps none… But if it pertains to my ward, her happiness and well-being, then I would say that it is very much my business, wouldn't you?" A raised, wizened eyebrow and a crystal blue gaze pierced Thorin's anger for a second and left him stunned. He hadn't thought about Gandalf taking offence on Lori's behalf. Not that it mattered. He was the one betrayed, not the other way around.

His sullenness draped him as a cape once more. "I was merely thinking of the elves. How they corrupt love and friendship at every turn with their deceit and calculations." He stomped off and left Gandalf glaring at his back, trying to figure out what he'd meant by that – where did this new malice in his words come from, and was Lori the trigger of it, or was it merely Elrond's suggestion of discussing their quest that had set him off?

"I think, perhaps it's time I talked to Lori…" He mused, and set off after Bilbo.

When he arrived at her room, he heard the uncharacteristic sound of a shouting hobbit. To be fair, it had happened more often than usual since the dwarves had entered Bilbo's life, but this was an unbridled sort of anger that baffled the old wizard. "What do you MEAN she's not here? She was bloody well put in this room yesterday! Did she move rooms?"

"My lord hobbit. All I can say is that Lady Lori is no longer here. We did not appoint her new quarters, and as you can see, all of her belongings are gone. I'm merely here to clean. Excuse me, please." Came the silky reply of an elleth who was in the process of changing the sheets on the bed.

"But… Gandalf!" He spotted him and quickly made his way to him. "Lori's missing! Nobody seems to know where she is!"

"Oh? That's odd. She's not in the habit of running off… Perhaps we should ask around." He mused.

"I'm telling you, Gandalf. Something's not right. She seemed upset earlier, but I didn't really talk to her about it. Oh, what if something terrible's happened and I could have stopped it?" He wrung his hands and looked enormously upset.

"Now now, dear Bilbo, let's not despair at the mere lack of knowledge. I'm sure we'll find her." He padded the hobbit's shoulder, though he didn't feel reassured himself. He'd never known Lori to disappear without word.

"Maybe we should ask Thorin?" Bilbo ventured.

"Thorin? Why do you say that?"

"Well, I saw him visit her yesterday after bath-time. He might have talked to her." He failed purposefully to mention that the dwarf-king had been wearing only a robe and his steel-tipped boots. No need to bring it up in case it was normal custom for a dwarf, but as a hobbit he did find the image uncomfortably… private.

"And she was upset this morning, you say?"

"Umm, yes. Looked as if she hadn't slept a wink, in fact." Bilbo realized.

"Hmm. I think maybe we should inform the leader of the company that a member of his group is missing. Would you be so kind as to provide him with the information, Bilbo? In the meanwhile, I will try to locate her with a little help." Gandalf nodded him in the direction of the feast hall.

"Good idea!" He started. "Ehm… Any idea how I should break it to him? –He's not too fond of me to begin with, and he's been positively explosive today."

"Perhaps an announcement to the whole company is best." Gandalf winked and the hurried down the corridor of vines and carved espaliers.

"Right… Here we go." Bilbo said to himself and ran towards the voices of feasting dwarves.

When he reached the hall it took him a moment to find an available chair to stand on, raising himself over the raucous.

"Everyone! May I have your attention for a moment, please?" He was a polite and somewhat shy hobbit, so it took him a few tries to reach a volume where anyone even took notice of him.

"OY!" Dwalin bellowed. "The Halfling wants to make a speech!"

Various shouts and encouragements increased the noise for a moment before Bilbo gained the ability to hear his own voice. "Speech! Speech! Speech!" among them.

"I've just found out that Lori's missing. She's not in her room, and neither are her belongings. Have any of you seen her since lunch today?" He asked. Suddenly you could hear a pin drop in the hall, and all eating and drinking had ceased.

Thorin stood up slowly, as if forcing himself to hold his temper. Not an unusual thing for him, Bilbo wagered.

"Well? Has anyone seen the woman?" He repeated. A chorus of bewildered faces and head-shaking greeted him.

"Gandalf has gone seeking help in finding her." He didn't say the word elf, but it was implied. "If anyone remembers seeing her this afternoon, please say where so that we may find her."

"I saw her in the library with you, mister Bilbo," Ori piped up. "But that was ages ago, and she looked a fright then." Thorin's eyes snapped to him and Ori shrank back a bit under his glare.

"Explain." He said.

"If I may?" Bilbo tried to take the heat of Thorin's mood off of poor Ori. "She looked as if she hadn't slept all night, and her face was blotchy and swollen as if she'd been crying… Though I can't imagine what she'd have to cry over?" The last part was phrased as a pointed question at Thorin. Hobbits may not be particularly brave, but they were fiercely loyal, and at the moment, Bilbo had a sneaking suspicion that Thorin was the cause of his friend being upset. "She was blue in the lips and her hands were freezing, but worst of all; She had no appetite whatsoever!"

An upset mumble broke out around them as Bilbo and Thorin shared a hostile look that clearly called out a challenge between them to tell the full breath of their knowledge. Unfortunately, Bilbo was an amateur at this and the strength of Thorin undeniable, so he crumbled under the stare and climbed down from the chair.

"Could the elves have kidnapped her?" Nori asked.

"Well, they ARE fond of pretty things…" Balin reasoned.

"Absolutely not!" Was Bilbo's response. "Lord Elrond would never allow that!"

"But what if it was someone we don't know?" Fili added.

"Cursed knife-ears! Now they kidnap us?" Gloin spat.

"We don't know that yet," Dori said calmingly.

"Khazad abod amuriz!" Bifur cursed.

"I… I really don't think she's been abducted." Ori said. "Why would they take her things?"

"Never trust an elf!" Dwalin shouted.

"Where could she have gone?" Kili said. "I don't like this. She's bound to get herself into trouble."

"What did he say?" Oin shouted, trying to get his hearing aid to actually aid him for once.

"Perhaps she's off practicing magic or whatnot somewhere private?" Bofur suggested.

"How about we take some food and go look for her?" Bombur added.

"ENOUGH!" Thorin shouted, making the room go silent once more. "She has left the company and we shall bother her no more. I talked to her last night, and truths were revealed that made it clear that she is not one of us." He was met with expressions ranging from incredulous, horrified and outraged to confused, baffled and shaken.

"What truths?" Ori demanded.

Thorin sighed. "Her father is an elf. _She _is an elf. And as you say yourselves, one should never trust an elf, so I banished her from my side."

The silence was ear-numbing for a long while, while the dwarves thought this over.

"You damn fool." Balin finally said through his white beard. "She left Rivendell on her own because of you, and where do you suppose she's gone from here, hmm? 'Cause I'm willing to bet it's not back to the safety of the Shire."

A chill ran down Thorin's spine as he realized what she might have done. She would have wanted to see their quest fulfilled, possibly even taking it on by herself to prove her loyalty and worth to him. It was suicide. The thought of her body lying broken and bleeding at the bottom of a mountain ravine almost made him physically ill.

"Thorin, do you have any idea what creatures live in the mountains between here and Erebor?" Balin continued. "I know the way, but she doesn't. And the mountains have long been overrun by goblins, orcs and wargs. It would take a miracle for a lone lass to survive that!"

_They mustn't know I cared for an elf. They'll never trust me again. _"Then we will pray to the stone to keep her safe. Perhaps our paths will cross again someday." _Please Mahal, make it so. Don't let her perish at my hand._ "The map we translated tonight told us to be at the entrance to the mountain on Durin's day, so we must leave before sunrise and make haste if we are to succeed."

Balin gave him a shrewd look, knowing that there was plenty of time till Durin's day to make it there.

"That's it?" Bofur challenged. "You're just going to let Lori wander off into who knows what dangers, and not do a thing about it?"

"The she-elf has made her decision. I cannot force her to do anything but what she desires." Thorin stated. "I am not her keeper."

"But..!"

"Eat up! Rest. We leave at first light!" He sat down and the company finished their meal in a somber mood that gave witness to the worry they all felt for their fairest companion. Not many words were shared for the rest of the evening.

..o00Ô00o..

When dawn threatened to arrive, Thorin was already up and packed for the journey. Sleep had mostly eluded him throughout the night, and the few winks he'd gotten, had lent his mind to terrors of seeing Lori in great despair in the mountains. Injured, dead, frozen, captured. The possibilities of his vivid fear were too endless to endure. So when the hobbit lingered to stare longingly at the elf-home as they crossed the bridge, his patience –or lack thereof – commanded him to hurry Bilbo along.

Gandalf had approached him in one of the dreams, interrupting yet another nightmare, saying he was detained by the white counsel, and that he would meet up with them three day's journey into the mountain.

His precious ward was missing, and he sat with elves and talked politics instead of looking for her? Thorin was greatly offended by this, but couldn't voice his opinion to anyone, lest they start to question why he cared so much. And he did. He finally realized that the feelings he had for her weren't going to go away overnight. If the stone in his heart was any indicator, it was obvious that Lori had settled into it firmly and comfortably, and now she was i great danger.

Blight take the woman, but he loved her.

..o00Ô00o..

**If you reviewed last chapter, this one is written because of you ;) I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think!**


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